Something Worth Hiding
by Mx Akiyata
Summary: A little mishap with a spell book and a night of fun may have been the biggest mistake of Iceland's life. Now he and Hong Kong struggle to hide this pregnancy from their families, who didn't approve of their 'friendship' in the first place. How could they even begin to explain this situation? Iceland x Hong Kong; mpreg; Rated M for 1st & a later chapter
1. Chapter 1

**Rating is mainly because of this chapter, though I didn't make anything ****_too_**** detailed. The story is about the ****_result _****of their sex, after all ;)**

**Anyway, in this chapter, Hong and Ice are just friends with benefits. They're not really a couple in the beginning here.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>Iceland stepped into his friend's house. Unlacing his tall boots and tossing his jacket on the hook in the doorway, he called into the house only to receive no answer. Stepping inside, he glanced into each of the rooms but found no one.<p>

"Hong!" he called and finally received an answer from the hallway. Hong Kong came running into the living room shortly after with a large, withered book in hand. Ice looked at him and furrowed his brow in confusion. "What is it? Why did you call me here so late?"

"I was, like, looking through England's spell books..." the young Asian man grinned mischievously. "And I found something that can spice things up a bit. Wanna try?"

Iceland sighed. "Spice things up? What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about sex, stupid," Hong Kong answered with a smirk, causing the Nordic's face to heat up upon realising his reason for being there. "So...I already, like, drew the magic circle on the floor, so let's, like, get going." He turned back to the hallway and gestured for Iceland to follow him, which he did.

When they entered the bedroom, Ice was told to stand in the center of the magic circle at the foot of the bed. He did just that and stared questioningly at his friend, who was now chanting a spell out of the large book in his hand. As Hong Kong finished the last line of the spell, the chalk circle began to glow up, and Iceland suddenly felt something fluttering -twisting- inside of him. The feeling was incredible and foreign to him but was over in just twenty seconds.

"Well?" Hong Kong asked when the light finally died down and the young Nordic was kneeled on the floor, sitting in a daze. "Feel any different?"

"Y-yeah," Iceland answered when he finally snapped from his daze. Looking up, he saw Hong Kong's usually-emotionless expression twist into a very lustful smirk as he tossed the book to the ground and held out a hand for the Icelander.

Iceland was pulled onto the end of the bed, landing on top of the young Asian with a thump. One glance at the man's seductively calm face, and Ice found his mind slipping and his body taking over. He immediately smashed his lips into Hong's repeatedly with much passion and slipped his tongue inside without having to ask for entrance. They wrestled with their tongues for a while as their hands instinctively unbuttoned each other's clothing and slid across their bare skin.

Pulling back with a string of saliva, Iceland stared into his lover's eyes and slid his hand down Hong Kong's side, and then he himself slowly slid to the floor at the foot of the bed. Hong moaned as his "friend" worked at pleasuring him. When Ice finally stopped, he was pulled onto his Asian lover's lap (facing him), where he carefully lowered himself onto his member. Groaning from the initial pain, Iceland caught his breath and began to move his hips gently. His boyfriend soon joined in on the movements, and they fell back onto the bed to continue more roughly.

"W-what," Iceland panted, "What is this...feeling?" His insides felt like they were on fire; burning pleasure shot through his body...only to be followed by a pleasurable coldness that stopped him from breathing for a moment. He gasped at the sudden change and arched his back, moaning and panting.

"Fire and Ice," Hong Kong answered breathlessly as he neared his limit. It wasn't long before he came inside Ice, and the Nordic did the same onto their chests. The two boys fell limply onto the bed and lay beside each other, trying to catch their breaths. Exhausted, Hong slid his hand down his lover's back, feeling where he was still inside him and smiled.

After several more rounds of pleasure, Hong finally pulled out and cuddled his friend close to himself. "Told you that spell would, like...make it more pleasurable," he whispered and received a tired smile of agreement. The two of them drifted off into slumber...

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><p>Iceland spent the rest of the week in his home, fatigue keeping him from leaving. He was rather confused at first because it was like a sudden wave of exhaustion that just wouldn't end, but he came to the realization later on that he was seriously sick; he knew because his lower back and head were hurting like hell, and he'd woken up early one morning puking his guts out. He would have passed this off as the flu or something if it weren't for one thing that seriously worried him.<p>

He was cramped, and his ass was bleeding.

The young Nordic cringed in pain as he sat on the toilet and hugged his stomach tight, hoping for these cramps to disappear. But they wouldn't, and he couldn't hold back the slight cries of pain that escaped his lips. His breath hitched, and he felt tears sting his eyes. He wasn't used to this kind of pain. Something was seriously wrong with him, but he just couldn't lift himself from the toilet. He was afraid to move.

He only opened his eyes, which had been clenched shut, when he heard small knocks at the bottom of the bathroom door. "Hey, tough guy, you alright in there?" came the deep mafia voice of Mr. Puffin, laced with worry and lack of sleep.

"Ah...yeah. I'm fine," Iceland said through gritted teeth, trying his best not to let the pain show in his voice. "S-sorry I woke you...I'm just not feeling well this morning, is all."

"...You sure you're awright? You been in there a long time."

"Y-yeah. I'm f-fine," the Nordic groaned in a barely audible voice as he clenched his pained stomach even harder and clamped his eyes shut once again. Another small gasp of pain escaped his lips, and he ground his teeth together to keep more from coming. Lying to his puffin was proving to be a difficult feat.

"Dat's it. I'm callin' a docta," the puffin declared and left the door to fetch the phone.

Mr. Puffin had organized an appointment for his owner at the near doctor's office early that morning. Luckily, there was plenty of room that day on the waiting list. When the bird came back to inform the sick Nordic, Iceland was lying in his bed, curled up in pain under the covers. It was normal for him to get pains due to the volcanoes of his nation, but it was unusual for him to be acting like this...and the volcanic pains did not usually come from his stomach area.

"Get dressed, tough guy." Mr. Puffin tossed clothes onto the bed from Iceland's dresser and then went to leave the room. "You're seein' the docta in twenty minutes. Let's go."

When his bird friend was out of the room, Iceland carefully stood and begin dressing, careful to not get blood on his clothes. He didn't tell his puffin that his ass was bleeding, of course; instead, he simply stuffed toilet paper there to hide his little issue. A few minutes later, he and Mr. Puffin climbed into his car and were driven to the doctor's office on the other side of town.

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><p>"Hm. That's very strange," the doctor said after examining the uncomfortable Nordic's 'situation' down below.<p>

Iceland was embarrassed beyond belief and was somewhat glad that his puffin couldn't come in with him. He glanced up at the doctor and sat himself up on the examination table. "Y-you have any idea what's...wrong with me?"

The doctor hummed lowly to himself. "Well, these symptoms are something I haven't seen before...at least not in a male." He paused and looked quizzically at Iceland before turning toward the cabinets against the wall and pulling out a small plastic cup. "I'm going to need to collect a urine sample, if you don't mind," he said and handed the cup to the nation, who sighed and nodded.

After taking the sample for testing, Iceland was given pain medication and told to go home and rest, which is exactly what he did. He wasnt very hungry, but he was certainly exhausted and decided to spend the rest of the day lying in bed. The test results would be out tomorrow morning, and he would finally know what was wrong with him.

And so, the young Icelander drifted off into sleep with his puffin friend there by his side. He dropped his worries because he was confident that the morning would bring information on his illness and that he would be treated, and everything would go back to the way it was.

Unfortunately, he couldn't have been more wrong.

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><p><strong>Mr. Puffin doesn't get enough love in fanfics, so I'm giving him some. Sorry if my puffin mafia talk sucks. XD<strong>

**Anyway, thanks for reading & please review~!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm honestly just coming up with this as I go. Apologies if characters seem a bit OOC.**

**Read and review, please ^_^ Enjoy~!**

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><p>"How is that even possible...?" Iceland's face paled, and he felt sick to his stomach for an entirely different reason.<p>

"Well, I don't quite understand it myself..." the doctor explained, "but the tests don't lie, Emil." He looked sincere, almost sympathetic. "Perhaps you were born with a uterus as well as your male organs...or perhaps it formed recently as a result of some sort of genetic mutation...I can't really say. It doesn't appear to be in its usual place either. This is certainly something I have never seen in my career."

Iceland's eyes widened. _"That damn spell..."_ he thought to himself and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. _"Damn it, Hong Kong. This is all your fault...'spice up,' huh?...more like knock up._" But as much as he wanted to, he couldn't fully blame his friend. After all, he'd agreed to do it...

Realizing the confused position his patient must have been in, the doctor sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll figure something out, son. Don't worry." He then turned to his counter in the small check-up room and grabbed the paperwork off of it. "For now, I suggest you speak to your partner about this." He turned back to look Iceland in the eyes, and the Nordic patient stood up from the chair he'd been seated in.

"I understand," Iceland said quietly, almost like a sigh.

The doctor set his hand on the Nordic's shoulder again and patted it as reassurance, and then he opened the door and walked off, gesturing for his patient to leave. "I'll see you in a few weeks, Mr. Steilsson." He waved and disappeared back into the main office.

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><p>Iceland stepped out of the car and made his way to the front door of his home. His legs felt heavy, and he wasn't entirely aware of his actions because his mind was swimming with thoughts; worries.<p>

Stepping inside, he was greeted by the cheerful puffin, who flew over from the living room and asked how it went. The bird, however, did not receive an answer because Iceland was too far in his own world to even realize he'd been spoken to. Instead, the young Nordic just slowly made his way to the bedroom and plopped down face-first into his pillow, unmoving.

Mr. Puffin followed him into the room and stared at the still nation lying in the bed. "Hey, tough guy..." he said, voice full of worry. "What happened?" Hearing no answer, he flew over and landed on the bed beside his owner, looking at curiously. The top half of Iceland's face was visible, but his eyes looked as empty as Norway's, which was certainly unusual for the hot-headed Nordic. "Ice...?" the puffin called again with a much softer tone.

Iceland's grip on the pillows visibly tightened, and bits of tears began to slip from his eyes against his will. He eventually closed them tight and buried his face completely into the pillows, muffling his silent cries even more. His body shook with each sob.

"T-tough guy?!" Mr. Puffin ran up to his owners face and tried to lift it by nudging his head with his beak. "Tough guy. What happened? What's wrong? You okay?"

A strange silence enveloped the room as the bird watched his owner sob silently. He'd never seen the boy so upset before. The young Nordic shook his head into the pillows after a bit, responding to the questions after his mind had caught up with the world.

"S-should I call the others?" Mr. Puffin began to panic and quickly turned to leave, but he was caught by the wing and looked back at Iceland, who was now sitting on his knees, the most miserable and tearful expression on his usually-cool face.

"D-don't," the Icelander sobbed. "Please. Don't," he whispered the last part, practically out of breath, and wiped his face dry. "I'm fine. I can figure this out on my own."

"Fig're what out?" the puffin asked, his mafia accent even stronger due to his emotions. He didn't know what was going on, and he hated seeing his friend like this. "What's wrong?" he asked quietly and sincerely. "Ye can tell me, Ice. Ye can tell me anythin'. Ye know that, right?"

Iceland nodded and let out a large and quivery breath. "Well...it's gonna be a bit hard to explain," he began and tried his best to smile.

"That's fine, tough guy," Mr. Puffin said softly. "Now tell me. What's wrong with ya?"

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><p>Mr. Puffin didn't leave his owner's side that night. He cuddled close to the Icelander and tried his best to comfort him, reassuring him and saying that everything would be alright. Of course, he knew very well that it might not be and that there were many perfectly-reasonable troubles going through his friend's mind as he slept peacefully. But right now, he was just glad to be there for him.<p>

Iceland was indeed dreaming of his current situation and the problems that came with it. How would he look, a young _male_ nation, walking around with an extended belly? How would he hide this from everyone? How would the other Nordics look at him if they found out? Would they be disgraced by him? Would Norway still want to be his brother? What about Hong Kong? Would his friend abandon him...? They weren't a couple. They weren't even supposed to be _friends._ So then...what would he do if he found out Iceland was pregnant with his child? What would happen to Iceland's country anyway? Would he even be able to keep this child? Would the child be a nation as well? A micro-nation, maybe? What would child birth be like?...or would he even live through it?

Iceland felt himself getting a headache again. He couldn't stop his anxiety from getting the best of him. This whole situation was just too much for him.

Suddenly, he felt nauseous and quickly flipped off his blankets, running to the bathroom as quickly as he could to vomit into the toilet. He coughed and gagged many rounds of puking, and his throat felt sore. Catching his breath, he sat on the tile floor beside the toilet and leaned against the sink for support. It was just past four in the morning, and he already felt like his insides would explode; not to mention the headache he still had.

"Tough guy...?" called the sleepy puffin now standing in the doorway to the bathroom, rubbing his eye with one wing as he pitifully observed his sick friend.

"I'm alright," Iceland panted, feeling guilty for waking his puffin and making him worry. "Go back to sleep."

Instead of listening to his owner, Mr. Puffin groggily waddled into the room and climbed into Iceland's lap, cuddling up to the sick boy without a word. Iceland smiled lightly and weakly lifted his arm to pet the snoring puffin.

"Thank you, Mr. Puffin." He cuddled the bird against his chest, holding it tight in both arms and flushed the toilet with his foot before heading back to the bedroom, where he lay down once again with his puffin held close...and drifted off into a well-deserved nap.

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><p><strong>I like to think that Mr. Puffin and Iceland have a very close relationship, so I imagine they'd be there for each other in times of need. I'll be bringing Hong Kong back into the picture next chapter.<strong>

**Thanks for reading~!**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's time for Ice to tell the baby daddy. Well...second daddy, y'know? haha Let's see how this goes.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>Iceland was lacing up his boots in the entryway. It was now two weeks after he'd been given the news on his <em>illness.<em> His next appointment with the doctor would be in just five days...and he had yet to tell Hong Kong the news.

"You sure you don't want me to come?" Mr. Puffin asked one last time as he watched his owner pull on his jacket. Iceland smiled at him.

"No, I'll be fine," he assured his friend and then adjusted his shirt collar to make it more comfortable. "I have to tell him myself. Hold up the fort for me?" Ice asked with a smirk as he opened the door and pulled his carry-on suitcase alongside him.

"Ye. I'll do my best," the puffin saluted and received a smile of thanks before the door was closed, and his owner was gone.

Iceland was on the plane for hours, just staring out the window. He'd spent the last two weeks worrying about how he would give the news, and he never really came up with anything that satisfied him. But he knew it had to be done. In just one week, he'd be a whole month into his pregnancy, and he knew that he couldn't do this alone. He had to tell the father; well, the _other_ father.

Sighing, he turned away from the window and faced the seat in front of him. Most of the passengers were asleep now because it was fairly late. The plane quiet and relaxing, though it didn't calm his nerves. He knew it was stupid to keep thinking so deeply, but he couldn't control the anxiety building up within him.

He loved Hong Kong. He really did...as _more_ than just a fuck buddy. But he'd never been able to tell him that because he could never tell if his friend felt the same way. Hong...he didn't show his emotions much, and when he did, they were usually just mischievous and playful...lustful expressions. They were friends; just friends, and nothing more. Would he even want to be Iceland's _friend_ anymore once he found out about _this_? Probably not.

Iceland didn't realize that he'd fallen asleep until he felt tapping on his shoulder and a woman (flight attendant) telling him they'd landed. Standing up and stretching, he pulled the carry-on out of the compartment above his seat and proceeded to leave the plane.

He'd been to Hong Kong plenty of times before, yet right now, this airport felt completely foreign to him. Everything was moving so fast in his eyes, yet the world felt slow to him. Once again, he found himself doing things without even realizing, and when he finally became aware of his surroundings, he was standing on the sidewalk in front of his friend's house.

Swallowing his uneasiness, the young Nordic took a deep breath and rang the door bell. He stood for what felt like an eternity before the door swung open, revealing the brown-haired Asian nation, who was looking at him in a state of confusion.

"Why are you, like, here? My family is over for dinner. If they, like, see you-" Hong Kong's words were cut off when his friend roughly pulled him outside and swiftly closed the door behind them. "What's wrong with you?! Why-"

"I NEED TO TALK TO YOU, DUMB-ASS!" Iceland shouted, tightly gripping his friend's arm. Anger and fear shook in his eyes, and he bit his lip to keep himself from losing his cool. "I need to talk to you," he said again more calmly.

Hong Kong wasn't really sure what to say to this. He knew his friend was hot-headed beneath his cool exterior, but that anger had never been directed toward him. So even though now wasn't the best time (his family was just inside), he knew that whatever Ice had to say must be important. He looked his friend in the eyes and put on his best serious face, urging for Iceland to say what he needed to say.

Iceland, noticing the serious look in his friend's eyes, nodded weakly and took a long and steady breath. "You know that...spell you did before we...?" He loosened his grip on Hong's arm and began to shake slightly.

Hong Kong tilted his head and looked a bit worried. "Yeah?" he asked, curiosity overtaking him.

Ice let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and continued. "Well, it did more than what we thought," he said as casually as he could. "Kongee, I...I'm..." He sighed. "There's no easy way to say this."

"Just, like, say it already," Hong Kong ordered. "What happened?"

"I'm..." Iceland bit his lip and tried to keep the water in his eyes. "...pregnant," he whispered so quietly that Hong Kong froze and wondered if he'd heard correctly. The tears suddenly began to fall from the Nordic's eyes, and the Asian nation instantly knew that this was no joke.

"Ice...E-Emil...is that, like...true?" When the crying nation numbly nodded his head and wiped his face on his sleeve, Hong Kong reached both arms out and took hold of Iceland's shoulders, looking directly into his eyes. "Ice, I'm so sorry," he said, realizing this was his fault for messing with magic. "It'll be alright," he whispered and hugged his friend gently. "We'll figure this out, okay? For now, just come inside."

Iceland nodded again and tried to regain himself. The tears had finally stopped falling, but his eyes were puffy and red now. "What about- your family?" he asked, voice cracking.

"Shh. I'll, like, figure something out," he cooed and put an arm around Ice's shoulders to lead him inside.

"What's he doing here, aru?!" demanded China, who was standing in the doorway of the dining room with his arms crossed, glaring at the two boys when they walked in the front door.

"China, this is, like, my house," Hong Kong said with a tinge of irritation in his voice.

"I don't care, aru! I thought I told you not to be friends with this European!"

"I can befriend who I want. You can't, like, control my life." Angry, the young Asian nation grabbed his friend's wrist before either of them could even take off their shoes and led him into the living room, gesturing for him to take a seat on the couch. "China's a jerk," he said. "Stay here, and I'll take care of them, I suppose."

Iceland could hear arguing from the other room. He felt guilty for causing them to fight, but it also hurt him to think that Hong Kong's family was so against their friendship. And that was just _friendship._ A few minutes later, the arguing escalated, and he could hear everyone screaming and even some dishes crashing.

"GET OUT!" he heard his friend scream at the top of his lungs, and everything went silent. A couple minutes later, the Asian family shuffled past the living room and slipped their shoes on. Ice couldn't help but shake when he received glares from them, since the couch was in view from the entryway. They weren't just normal glares either. They were "I hate your guts. Look what you did," glares. Iceland's guilt level skyrocketed, and he looked down at his lap as they made their way out the door. Hong Kong stood in the doorway of the living room, looking apologetically at his friend. The atmosphere was tense and awkward.

"...You okay?" he finally asked Iceland but got no answer except a forced shake of the head. Iceland leaned over and dug his fingers into his head, taking multiple deep breaths. Frowning, Hong Kong walked over and sat beside him, rubbing Ice's back comfortingly. "I'm, like...really sorry about that."

"Don't be, Hong. I'm the one that caused it. I should have called before coming here."

The Asian nation gasped in anger and was a bit taken aback. "Ice, that was _not_ your fault. China's just an asshole that thinks everything has to be traditional and Asian."

Iceland sighed and leaned back against the couch, pulling his knees up and loosely wrapping his arms around them. "I know, but I can't help but feel like I'm the reason you're always fighting with your family."

Now it was Hong Kong's turn to sigh. Leaning back as well, he pulled Ice into a hug and lay his head on the other's shoulder. "I don't care what they think, Ice," he said and tilted his head to peck Iceland's jaw. "I love everything about you." He smiled sweetly and laughed to himself when he was the surprised expression on the Nordic's face. "You don't, like, have to say anything. We'll figure something out, okay? I'm not gonna leave you."

For the first time in the past few weeks, Iceland felt overjoyed. But it was a kind of happiness that he was unfamiliar with. He truly smiled and felt tears in his eyes. "Damn hormones," he said and smirked, wiping away the happy tears that were streaming down his face. Hong Kong laughed at this and pulled him closer, placing a soft kiss on Iceland's wet cheek.

"I love you, Iceland."

Iceland grinned and chuckled, the tears still streaming down his face. "I l-love you too, Kongee."

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><p><strong>Love is in the air~ ;) P.S. "Kongee" is just a nickname that I (for some reason) gave to Hong Kong. <strong>

**Thanks for reading~! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Meh. I'm, like, really tired...and starting to type like Hong Kong...meh.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>"No!" Iceland practically shouted with an expression of 'How could you even say that?' It was early in the morning, and he did <em>not<em> want to start the day by arguing with his now-official boyfriend. He shook his head at Hong Kong and said, "I am not getting an abortion. I couldn't look at myself knowing that I killed my own child."

Hong Kong sighed and gave a sad smile. "I know, I know. I was just saying that it's an option, I suppose. I don't wanna kill it either."

The Nordic stared blankly at his boyfriend before growling to himself and raking a hand through his hair. "So then, what? We can't just...keep it."

"Why not?" the Asian asked as if oblivious to the world.

"Why not?" Iceland repeated incredulously. "We're nations, Hong. We have duties toward our countries. We can't just add the responsibility of a _child_ onto that. Besides, what about our families?"

"We can, like, keep this from them until they're ready to accept us as a couple," Hong Kong said, making a hand gesture in the air to say that it wouldn't be a problem.

Iceland was getting fed up with his partner's indifference to the situation and rubbed the bridge of his nose between his eyes. "Hong, unlike you, I see my family almost all the time. I haven't seen them recently only 'cos Mr. Puffin told them I was sick with something contagious...there's no way I can use that excuse for the next eight months, let alone _hide_ my growing stomach."

It seemed as if Hong Kong finally came to terms with the situation because he didn't blurt out anything stupid this time. Instead, he stood there in thought, shifting his feet a bit.

"Besides," the Nordic continued, "I don't think it'd be right to keep this kind of secret from them...even if it is kind of embarrassing and weird."

Hong Kong mumbled something to himself and walked out of the room, confusing his Icelandic boyfriend. When he came back, he was carrying the spell book that caused this whole ordeal, along with a small suit case.

"What are you doing?" Iceland asked because he really had no idea what was going through the Asian's mind.

"We're going to England's place," he stated. "He's had tons of family issues. If we can get any, like, advice, it should be from him, I suppose."

Iceland sighed once more. "Fine," he agreed calmly and went to grab his suit case from the bedroom. "But he better not tell my brother..."

"Don't worry about it," Hong Kong said, waving his hand in the air. "Iggy, like, doesn't bother with gossip, I don't think."

"Well...alright," Ice said, still uneasy about it. "I guess we'll go talk to England."

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><p>"You did <em>what<em> with my spell book?"

"I told you. We, like, used that Fire and Ice spell to make our sex better," Hong Kong stated matter-of-factly. Iceland, who was standing behind him in England's lounge, hid the embarrassed blush on his face by burying it into the back of the Asian's shirt.

England looked at them with a mix of confusion and horror on his face. After staring at them in silence for a bit, his mind still trying to process what his child just told him, he began to vigorously shake his head.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked dramatically, embarrassed by the image of the two young nations that now would not leave his mind. "I did not need to know that, Leon. Learn to keep that information to yourself, _please_." The Englishman was quite frustrated and uncomfortable about his current situation. He raised Hong Kong like his own child and did _not_ need to know what kind of things his son did in the bedroom.

Hong Kong was mentally laughing at how uncomfortable his previous caretaker was, but he kept his expression neutral because he knew that this was a serious issue and needed England to take him seriously as well. Clearing his throat, he tried to muster the right words for what to say next. "Um...we, like...didn't come here just to tell you that..."

At this, England jerked his head back toward the two nations and looked Hong Kong dead in the eye. Just then, the Asian's voice had sounded vulnerable and uncertain...something that was certainly uncharacteristic for him. Even so, England was expecting the usual expressionless mask when he turned around; instead, he was met with milky-brown eyes that were laced with fear and insecurity.

The very second he saw those eyes, England practically lunged himself at the younger nation, gripping his shoulders with worry and not daring to break eye contact. "Hong Kong," he said, keeping his voice firm and powerful. The younger nation slowly averted his eyes. "Hong Kong, look at me." The boy did as he was told. "I raised you to not show your weaknesses. You've always been so strong...Now tell me, what's wrong? What have you come to me for?"

"We, like...came to return the spell book," Hong Kong answered as nonchalantly as he could. He was never one to be embarrassed, but he was honestly terrified of breaking _this_ kind of news to his father...or to anyone, really. "And we also came to, like...ask you for advice, I suppose." He handed the book to England, who placed it aside and then took a seat in a large arm chair, gesturing for the two younger nations to seat themselves on the couch across from him.

"What kind of bloody advice could you possibly need from me?" the Englishman asked, trying to rid himself of the worry that was growing inside him by considering the option that this all may be just another prank, which Hong Kong was well known for. When he was answered with silence, he sat back in his chair and began to sip his tea patiently.

The awkward silence ended only when Iceland decided to speak up and blurt out, "We need advice on how to raise a family!" His answer caused the Brit to choke on his tea, nearly spilling it on himself. Hong Kong took a deep breath, readying himself to break the news.

"What the bloody hell do you two need _family_ advice for?!" shouted the shocked nation after he'd finished with his coughing fit from choking on his tea.

"We also need advice on, like, how to tell our families," Hong Kong said as if it were a perfectly normal conversation.

"Tell your families what?!" England shouted again, standing up abruptly.

Annoyed by the constant questions, Hong Kong growled in frustration and jumped to his feet, deciding to just get it over with. "That we, like, used your stupid spell book and that it, like, had a really bad side effect! And, like, now Ice is pregnant, and we, like, don't know what to do! And our families, like, hate each other and, like, don't even want us to be friends! And, like, now it's just- just-" Hong Kong began to gasp for air during his fit of yelling, and he knew that he was currently showing more emotion than what he was known for, but he couldn't help it. After he could breath a bit more normally again, he flopped back onto the couch and took a deep breath. "We just don't know what to do..." he whispered, seeming completely lost and vulnerable.

England stood there for a while, not speaking. His eyes were wide and his mind jumbled from what he'd just heard. He was frozen; shocked. _His_ spell book had caused Iceland, a _male_ nation, to become pregnant...and his _usually_ seemingly-emotionless son was literally freaking out; worried, confused, _scared._ Without realizing, England fell back into his chair and sat there in a daze, just staring down at his lap in thought.

"Are you, like...gonna say something?" Hong Kong asked with very slight irritation in his voice, though he couldn't hide the exhausted worry that left him almost breathless.

"It's just a lot to take in, lad..." England sighed and finally looked up at his son, nodding and smiling weakly. "I'll help you out the best I can, but I'll tell you now that I am not best at resolving family conflicts," he laughed and then looked at Iceland sympathetically. "Well, I'm not particularly sure how to solve your case...unfortunately, you can't reverse the side effects of a spell...but you may feel free to come to me if you need anything. I've helped my queens with pregnancy and such in all my time...However, I cannot help you with your families. But you should have some good bit of time before you show, so there's no need to rush and tell them...how far along?"

Iceland glanced up at the Englishman and answered. "About one month..."

England smiled at this. "If that's the case, then you should be fine. Though I'm not really sure if it's different for a guy...most women generally start showing in the third or fourth month. That should give you plenty of time to sort things out and tell them."

This seemed to be good news because Iceland relaxed and gave a tiny smile when he heard this, subconsciously placing a hand on his stomach. "Um...thank you," he said shyly as a small blush spread across his face.

Hong Kong glanced over and smiled genuinely at this, which in turn made England smile, glad to see that his son was happy and in love; and not hiding his emotions.

After much talking about what to expect in pregnancy and how to care for babies, along with a long rant about the Brit's family issues, the two young nations retired for the night and slept in Hong's old bedroom. The next morning, they gave their thanks and took their leave, glad to know that they had someone on their side to help them through this problem, even if nothing was necessarily resolved yet.

They spent the rest of the day sight-seeing in London and ate out for dinner at a fancy Italian restaurant. Afterward, they headed to the airport and headed for Iceland's homeland. They slept almost he entire flight, the young Nordic's head resting on his boyfriend's shoulder.

In a couple of days, they would go to the hospital for checkup and their first baby scan. And they both felt honestly content and happy now; their worry could wait until later on because they had time before their families would notice anything. If they had any troubles, they could talk to England and Mr. Puffin.

Everything would be fine.

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><p><strong>Everything <strong>**_would_**** be fine, right? ...Right? Well, I guess we'll see next chapter :P**

**Thanks for reading~! I would really appreciate any reviews! ^_^**


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't really know much about ultrasounds, so please forgive me for anything incorrect and for not using the names of things. It's not too important anyway.**

**Also, this is a bit shorter of a chapter than the others, so sorry about that.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>"So is that, like, supposed to be our kid?" Hong Kong asked, furrowing his eyebrows and tilting his head to different angles as he tried to distinguish what he was seeing on the fuzzy ultrasound monitor.<p>

The doctor laughed and removed the object from Iceland's exposed stomach, which was covered in some jelly-like substance. He tossed the boy a towel to wipe off and went on to explain what they'd seen. "It _is_ your child, yes. But it's a little early for the young one to resemble a human just yet," he said and took a seat in his chair. "But it seems to be healthy, which is good."

Iceland finished drying his stomach and pulled his shirt down, glancing at his boyfriend's questionable expression. It was obvious that the Asian was not too intrigued by any of this, but he decided to leave it be for now.

"So, can we, like, still do it?" the Asian nation asked with a smirk on his face.

The doctor laughed and informed him that they could so long as it wasn't too rough, and Hong seemed pleased with the answer and began to ask all sorts of things.

After several minutes of talking with the doctor, the two of them were heading back to Iceland's place. The drive home was relatively quiet and tense. Hong Kong could tell that there was something bothering his boyfriend, but he decided not to ask and assumed that it had something to do with hormones.

The moment they walked in the door, however, Ice's calm exterior exploded like a volcano, and he began shouting angrily.

"Are you not telling me something?!" Iceland shouted as soon as the door had closed behind him. Hong Kong looked taken aback.

"Ah- No. Why would I not tell you something, Ice? Of course I-" He never finished what he was saying because it wasn't long before he was pulled by shirt collar and dragged into the living room, where he was violently shoved onto the couch.

"You were talking like you didn't care about a thing in the world other than whether or not you could still have freaking sex!" he shouted and twisted his fists into Hong Kong's shirt. "Do you not want this baby?" Iceland asked in a harsh whisper, kneeling above his boyfriend, whom he was holding down with strength he didn't know he had.

"Ice," Hong Kong began as an accused, hurt expression fell onto his face. "Why would you think that, Ice? I care. I do! I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I love you, Emil. Of course I want it," he said pleadingly.

Iceland frowned, and his grip loosened tremendously. He tried to hold back sobs, but tears fell from his face, and he soon lost control of himself. Leaning forward, he buried his face into Hong Kong's shirt and cried, hugging his boyfriend tightly and repeating "I'm sorry," between each sob.

"Emil."

Ice looked up and met the worried gaze of his lover, his baby's father, and felt the guilt hit him even harder. He sniffled, trying to regain his composure and was about to apologize again when he was pulled into a long and passionate kiss.

After breaking their kiss, Hong Kong pulled his fingers through his boyfriend's soft hair, staring deeply into his eyes with a blank expression, though his own eyes were full of love and care.

"You don't have to apologize, Emil. I know I haven't, like, been too ecstatic about this, but that's just because I'm scared."

Iceland sat up a bit and looked down at Hong. "You're scared?" he asked. He truly didn't think his boyfriend was capable of fear, what with his usually-indifferent personality and all.

"Yeah," the Asian replied and pulled himself into a sitting position, still facing Ice on the couch. "I just...never thought about being a parent, I suppose...I guess I'm just, like, afraid that I won't be good at it." He shrugged and frowned.

"Kongee~" Iceland exclaimed with a light chuckle and sprang onto Hong Kong, hugging his close. He smiled when he met the confusion in Hong's eyes. "You'll be fine," he said and turned to sit more comfortably in the other's lap and lay his head on his boyfriend's shoulder. "It's too early to worry about that anyway. We still have, what? Eight months?" He tilted his head up and pecked the Asian's jaw with his lips, and they sat in peace for a while, comforting each other with their embrace.

That was, of course, until Mr. Puffin came waddling into the room and saw his owner in such a girly position and began laughing out loud, which immediately caught the attention of the two love birds. Iceland quickly broke the embrace and scrambled off of Hong Kong's lap, instead sitting beside him and blushing profusely at the embarrassment of being seen like that.

"Aw, come on, tough guy! It was cute," the puffin laughed at Ice's embarrassment.

Iceland's face was practically red now, and he tried to hide it by pulling his legs up and shoving his face behind his knees. "'m not cute," he said, voice muffled behind his legs.

"Of course you are," Hong Kong teased as he poked his boyfriend in the cheek, resulting in the latter only burying his face deeper into his knees and grumbling.

Mr. Puffin flew up onto the couch and nuzzled his way between the Nordic's face and legs, making the boy sit up straight again. The bird smiled up at him (if birds could smile) and sat in his lap. "Y'know, tough guy..." he said in his usual mafia voice, "I kinda like this soft side of you."

Iceland looked at him and then over to his boyfriend and sighed, pouting to himself. "Whatever," he replied childishly. Hong Kong smirked and hugged him, and the puffin made himself comfortable on the boy's lap.

"I hate to break da happy mood, but..." Mr. Puffin said, "the other Nordics are comin' over tomorra' afternoon. They been worryin' 'bout you bein' sick for so long."

Iceland moaned irritably. "Fine. I guess it's better I see them now than for them to suddenly see me...when I'm actually showing," he finished. He tilted his head back on the couch and closed his eyes, moaning in frustration before suddenly going quiet. "I want food," he said bluntly, and the other two laughed a bit and got up to go make something.

"Stay here and rest a bit, tough guy," the bird told him as he left the room with Hong Kong.

Iceland couldn't argue with him. He was exhausted, and before long, he was fast asleep on the couch.

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><p><strong>Nordics are coming. Oh my.<strong>

**Chapter ending is laaaammeee n; Oh well.**

**Thanks for reading~! Please review! (I'll love you forever if you do.)**


	6. Chapter 6

***yawn***

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>Iceland awoke with the sudden need to puke; a feeling that had become all too familiar to him over the past month. He hated it; especially when it woke Hong Kong and Mr. Puffin.<p>

It was around 4:30AM now, and he was once again sitting on the bathroom floor, waiting for the next wave of nausia to hit him while his boyfriend sleepily rubbed his back and waited for him to finish. A good hour or so passed before they finally stood up and went back to bed.

Around nine that morning, when Hong Kong was preparing breakfast, there was a knock at the door. But just as Iceland walked up to get it, a loud Dane entered on his own, followed by the three other Nordics.

"Hey, Icey! Long time no see~!" he shouted and patted Iceland's shoulder a little harder than necessary. Then he took a good look at the boy, who was a bit paler than usual and did look kind of sick. "Man, you look like crap," he stated cheerfully.

"Thanks for noticing," Iceland said with a grunt and closed the door when they all got inside. "Do you guys want breakfast or something?" he asked, walking back towards the kitchen.

Finland sped up and fell in step with him. "No way, Ice! Have you actually been cooking?"

"Well, no..." he said, but the question was answered when they entered the kitchen and spotted the Asian up at the stove, who turned and acknowledged them with a nod before going back to the food.

Norway immediately pulled Iceland aside and in a harsh whisper, asked, "Why is he here?" His aura was growing darker, and he glared sternly at his younger brother. The other three Nordics didn't seem to approve either, though they weren't quite as frontal about it.

"What, am I not allowed to have friends?" Iceland spat and shook his arm from his brother's grip. "If you're just going to criticize who I let in my house, then _get out._" At this point, he was visibly showing his anger and even glaring immensely at his brother; a glare that could easily match Sweden's if it weren't on such a cute boy's face.

"U-um," Finland stuttered after a minute of Ice's hateful glaring. "W-we came to make sure you're alright, Ice." He tried to smile and couldn't help but feel afraid by the youngest Nordic's sudden malice.

"Yeah, we've been really worried about ya, Icey!" Denmark shouted and patted Iceland's shoulder, once again a little harder than necessary. Sweden nodded in agreement, and Norway simply stared blankly at his brother.

They didn't get to say anything more on the matter, however, because they were soon greeted by Hong Kong, who informed them that breakfast was ready. The six of them sat down, Iceland taking the end seat where Mr. Puffin was already perched and pecking at a plate of food. Hong Kong and Norway sat on both sides of him, across from each other. Denmark was beside Nor and Finland beside Hong while Sweden took up the other end of the table.

Even with Finland's small talk and Denmark's constant noise, there was much tension in the air. It was obvious that Hong Kong wasn't welcome by any of the other Nordics, which angered Iceland to the point in which he refused to speak and simply watched as Norway and Sweden glared at his 'friend.'

By the time they were done eating, Hong Kong felt as if a million daggers had been shot through him. The glares he'd received all the while were more than just unwelcoming; they were completely hateful. Iceland wasn't faring well himself. Because his family's anger was about his _'friendship,'_ he felt as if it was also directed towards him. It took everything he had to hold himself back.

_"If I tell them we're dating, they won't ever let us see each other again,"_ he thought to himself. _"So then...when they find out I'm pregnant...they'll probably kill him and disown me. No...they'd probably force me to have an abortion...and then lock me up forever."_ Iceland hated the idea that he was treated like a child. He hated that he couldn't make his own decisions. And more than anything, he hated that his family couldn't just allow him to be happy.

It wasn't until he heard a question that he was snapped away from his thoughts and realized that all four of the Nordics were looking at him angrily. "What?"

"We asked why that Asian guy is here," Denmark said through gritted teeth.

Looking to his side, Iceland noticed that Hong Kong was no longer sitting there, and he quickly turned back to the Nordics. "Where is he?!" he shouted.

"We 'sked him t' step out," Sweden answered, his voice more stern than usual.

"We need to talk, Ice," Finland demanded as if he were a mother scolding her child. "That guy is nothing but trouble."

"He's right, Ice," Denmark agreed in a serious manner. "He might be good for trade business, but he's not someone you should be hanging out with."

Now Iceland was just getting ticked off. "Do you even hear yourselves?! You don't even know him!" he shouted. He wanted to rant on but was quickly interrupted by his elder brother's calm yet serious voice.

"Emil," he said and stared blankly into his brother's eyes, which were full of anger and something else. "I understand that Hong Kong has helped a lot financially," he began his lecture, "but not everything he trades is exactly friendly."

"Like you would know?!"

"I do know, Iceland," Norway said sternly in hopes that his brother would actually listen. "He was practically born and raised on opium, and I don't trust his obsession with fireworks."

"Yeah!" Denmark shouted in agreement. "And China and England were always complaining about how rebellious he was...China says he still plays pranks and-"

"Don't _you_ still play pranks?" Iceland asked, glaring darkly at the Dane.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"And how the hell is it _his_ fault that opium was around? I was raised by a bunch of fucking vikings that slaughtered innocent people every day! What right do you have to judge _him_?! You don't know anything about him!" Iceland screamed and earned shocked stares from the other four Nordics. "Get out," he finally told them when they said nothing. "Get out!" he shouted and pushed his brother backwards with enough force to make him fall, if it weren't for Denmark catching him. "Go!" he yelled again and pointed to the door.

The four of them headed toward the entryway, glancing back several times as the youngest of their group angrily shoved them out the front door with strength they never thought he had. When they heard the door slam behind them and lock, they knew to not even try knocking again. They really pissed Iceland off. They'd never seen him snap like that, and somewhere in the back of their minds, they understood why he had.

Iceland had the right to have friends, and Hong Kong was one that helped him out the most financially...but they still couldn't just accept their friendship; not when they honestly thought so poorly of the young Chinese nation.

Norway wanted to turn back and kick down the door so that he could reprimand his brother and try again to get the message through his brother's head; Hong Kong was bad news. That's what he truly believed, and that's what he wanted his brother to realize. But of course, the others held him back and told him to let Iceland cool off. They decided to just leave for now and try again later; hopefully the hot-headed Nordic would be cooled off by then.

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><p>Iceland slammed the door and locked it, then turned his back to it and slid down to a sitting position, panting as he tried to catch his breath. His throat hurt from screaming so much.<p>

"Hong Kong...?" he called out weakly. The house was uncomfortably quiet. The only living thing he could see was his puffin, who was still sitting on the table and looking at him very sadly. Ice got up and walked into the kitchen, picking up the bird and hugging him close. "I'm sorry, Mr. Puffin. That got a bit out of hand." He tried to let out a laugh at the thought of how he'd actually stood up for himself, but it only ended in him breaking down. "Stupid hormones," he whined through his tears.

"It's awright, tough guy..." the bird tried to console him, though it wasn't working all that much.

"Do you know where Hong went?" Iceland asked after a while.

"I dunno," Mr. Puffin answered truthfully. "You were spacin' out when they told him to leave. He said he'd just take a walk...he didn't say when he'd be back."

Iceland let out a sigh of relief. "Alright, Puffin," he smiled to reassure himself. "Thanks."

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><p><strong>Mm. Hong Kong took a walk. So did the Nordics. How's this gonna end?<strong>

**Well, thanks for reading~! Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**The new semester at college starts tomorrow, so I may not be able to update as often, especially since I'm also working on another story at the moment, as well as my personal manga...so just a heads up. **

**'Tis a long-ish chapter. ****Enjoy~!**

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><p>Hong Kong needed to clear his head. One moment, he was quietly eating breakfast as his boyfriend spaced out. The next, he was being ordered to leave and not in a very nice way either.<p>

To put it simply, he was pissed. He hadn't done anything wrong. They _should_ have been happy that someone was taking care of Iceland while he was "sick," but of course they overlooked that due to their pointless hatred of the Asian nation.

He just hoped they'd be gone by the time he got back, but he wasn't entirely counting on it, so he decided to just walk around the city park for a while. It gave him plenty of time to think about things, though his thoughts seemed to only make him angrier and more worried that the Nordics might not let him be with Iceland anymore.

It was at that moment that he heard his name being called spitefully. Grunting to himself, Hong Kong half-turned his body and saw four not-too-pleased Nordic countries walking toward him. Remembering not to make them hate him any more, he put on his best neutral expression and greeted them with a polite bow. That, however, did not seem to phase them one bit.

"Listen, kid," Denmark began and stepped closer to Hong Kong, looking him in the eye. "We're not falling for that nice act of yours. I don't want Ice hanging out with some delinquent, understand?"

Hong Kong's eyes narrowed as he glared at the Dane. "Delinquent?" he asked, slightly taken aback. "I've done, like, nothing but help Iceland."

"Help?!" Finland practically yelled, but Sweden put an arm in front of the smaller nation to keep him from jumping at the Asian, who was now glaring defensively at all of them.

"Look," the blank-faced Norwegian said with a darkened aura. "We are all the help my lillebror needs. You can continue to trade with him, since it has helped him financially, but I feel no need for the two of you to see each other outside of business affairs. Why is it that you are so insistant on making my brother rebel against his own family?"

Hong Kong felt himself snap somewhere inside. Anger was something he'd grown used to with all the fights he'd had with China, but being accused of something he was not guilty for was an entirely different feeling, and it pissed him off. He felt his mask crack as all his anger began to spill out onto his features.

"I'm making him rebel against you?" he asked calmly, trying his best to not burst. He clenched his fists, digging his nails into the palms of his hands hard enough to break the skin, though he didn't seem to notice. He lifted his head and looked Norway dead in the eye. "Haven't you ever thought that maybe _you_ are making him rebel against _yourself?_"

Norway furrowed his eyebrows and looked about to say something before he was interrupted by the Asian nation's now-raised voice.

"You think he's happy with the way you treat him?!" Hong Kong asked in a greatly raised and demanding tone, though it wasn't quite yelling. The Nordics started to protest, but he ignored their complaints and caught them off guard with his next sentence. "Do you have _any_ idea how much you've, like..._hurt_ him?!" he then shouted, quickly glancing at each one of them to see their expressions fall from anger to guilt. He then began to calm himself from the outburst and lowered his voice to just about a whisper. "Do you really think he's, like, happy with the fact that you won't allow him to have friends?"

All four Nordics fell silent and really didn't know what to say. Did Iceland really talk about this behind their backs? Did he really say that his family was hurting him? They were just trying to look after him...but now they were beginning to realize just how unfair they were being, even if they did feel that Hong Kong was a bad influence.

The Asian sighed and unclenched his fists, the palms of his hands now bleeding slightly. "If all you wanted was to get me to stay away from him, then don't, like, bother," he stated firmly but calmly and then averted his now tired and worried eyes. "I'm not going to leave him alone right now. Not when he needs me," he added in a mumbled and then looked back and bowed low. "If that's all, then I'll be leaving, I suppose." He turned to walk away and back towards Iceland's house, but he didn't get very far before the four Nordics caught up to him after processing what he said and grabbed his arm to stop him in his tracks.

"Why?" Norway asked as he gripped the Asian's wrist.

"Why what?" Hong Kong asked, confused.

"Why does he need you? What's going on?" the Nordic asked in a slightly frantic tone and tightened his grip, hoping to get an answer.

Hong Kong tried to turn his head away so that he wouldn't have to look into the Norwegian's demanding, pleading eyes...but he then found himself being pushed roughly down onto a park bench with Sweden towering over him, holding both of his shoulders so that he couldn't get away. Finland and Norway sat on either side of him, each holding a wrist so that he couldn't fight against them, and Denmark knelt on the ground directly in front of him, keeping eye level with the Asian.

"Now then," the Dane said patiently, though the forced grin on his face told Hong that he was anything but patient. "Why don't you tell us what's going on?" he demanded in more of a statement than a question.

And Hong Kong knew that he had to spill the beans.

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><p>Iceland was napping on the couch with his puffin when the phone began to ring. Growling and rolling his eyes, he picked up the sleeping bird and got up, then placing the bird back down in hopes that it didn't wake him. He walked over and picked the phone off of the receiver and stiffled a yawn before greeting the caller.<p>

He was jolted from his tired state when the voice on the other end came yelling into his ear, asking where Hong Kong was while throwing many undesireable insults toward the Icelander.

"He's not here at the moment," the Nordic explained to the fuming Chinese man. "No, I don't know when he'll be back," he answered when asked more and more questions. "He didn't say where he was going. I'm not sure when he's leaving. Yeah. Yeah...No...That has nothing to do with me. No, we're not. Tch. Quit yelling at me then. I have nothing to do with your family problems," Iceland spat back and was quickly growing irritated. Not wanting to hold China's loud voice right next to his ear, he walked up to his room (where the conversation would not wake Mr. Puffin) and sat on the bed, putting the phone on speaker and placing it down beside him.

"Aiyah~!" China exclaimed. "You have everything to do with our family problems, aru! If it weren't for you, my little Hong Kong wouldn't have kicked us out of his home! He even left without telling us!"

"Hong Kong kicked you out of his house because you were being unreasonable," Iceland tried to explain while holding his tempter in attempts to seem more mature about this.

"Unreasonable?!" China gasped, shocked. "You little brat! Such disrespect, aru!" China huffed, and Iceland could just picture the Asian nation sitting there with his arms crossed. "I do not want you hanging around Hong Kong," he finally said.

"Well Hong Kong isn't under your control anymore, and you'll just have to accept that he has the right to make his own decisions," the young Nordic said through half-gritted teeth. He was trying _very_ hard to not lose his temper.

China huffed again, his tolerance of the Icelandic nation clearly twindeling with each passing second. Finally, he shouted for the _'worthless European,'_ as he'd worded it, to learn some respect and to stay away from _his_ Hong Kong unless he'd want something bad to happen. Without giving time for a response, the elder nation hung up.

Iceland was a bit taken aback from the threat, and it honestly started to worry him that maybe China really meant it. But he wasn't necessarily worried for himself. He was worried for his unborn child. If he were to so much as get hit by China's wok...it could harm or even kill the baby.

His worries were pushed aside, however, when the Asian's insults began to sink in. He'd been called a worthless European among other things, and this wasn't the first time those insults were thrown at him. It was somewhat true. Out of all the Nordics, he was the only one that didn't really have much of a role. He was always in need of money...he wasn't exactly a strong nation...his volcanos always caused trouble for himself and the rest of Europe...and to top it all off, he had once tried to sell himself online. As much as he wanted to be seen as a mature adult, he knew that there were several reasons for why his Nordic brothers treated him like a child and made fun of him almost every time they saw him. He certainly wasn't the best country, and now he was knocked up because of a stupid mistake he'd made with someone that he wasn't supposed to be with in the first place.

Iceland suddenly felt nautious all over. It was like morning sickness, except it was now just afternoon. He felt the bile rise in his throat and ran quickly to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet in time. Just as he finished and began breathing hard to catch his breath, he felt a hand rubbing his back to comfort him.

Turning curiously, his eyes widened upon the sight of his brother crouched beside him and looking at him sympathetically. In the doorway stood the other three Nordics, also with sympathetic expressions, while Finland was sniffling with tears running down his face.

He didn't understand why they were looking at him like that; perhaps because they'd caught him puking and felt bad that he was sick, but he hated the fact they'd seen him in such a weak state.

"What?!" he snapped and made Norway quickly drop his hand.

Finland rushed forward and pulled Iceland into a hug, crying but smiling. The others also came and began hugging him, all of them apologizing and saying that it'd be alright, much to the Icelander's confusion. His eyes widened in realization, however...when he saw Hong Kong standing guiltily in the doorway, staring down at his feet and mouthing "I'm sorry."

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><p><strong>Well, things are finally starting to get heated up. What are the Nordics going to do now that they know? And China is none-too-pleased with Hong Kong being gone so long. Not only does Iceland have to worry about his pregnancy, but now he has to deal with his over-protective family while his anxiety builds up about the threat placed on his shoulders by his boyfriend's family. It's only a matter of time before the stress gets to him.<strong>

**Well, thanks for reading~! ****Please review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Rawr. I'm starting to really have fun with this story. Maybe it's because I'm just coming up with it as I go, so nothing is really holding me back from doing whatever with it. I have almost no idea what's going on in the future chapters. XD**

**But anyways, enjoy~!**

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><p>"Aiyah..." China grumbled as he hung up the phone and left Hong Kong's front porch. "Such a disrespectful brat," he said to himself, referring to Iceland.<p>

He made a few phone calls on his way home and asked for many of his family members to meet up at his own house. When he got there, many of them had already arrived and let themselves in using their own spare keys.

Many of the Asian nations were too busy for this "emergency" family meeting, but a decent number of them _did_ show up, if only because it involved Hong Kong; Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and even Shinatti-chan. It wasn't a particularly large group, but it was certainly enough.

"Alright," Korea chimed in once they were all there. "So what exactly is the emergency? You said it involves Hong Kong."

"Aiyah...after that stupid European made us leave a few days ago, Hong Kong left without even telling me and hasn't even bothered to call, aru. I thought I made it clear that he was not to be friends with that Icelander, yet he still insists on going behind my back like this," China explained, exhausted and irritated. "So I called that worthless European and asked when Hong Kong was coming back, and the kid was so disrespectful! He gave me so much attitude, aru!"

"China-san, are you sure you did not say anything to anger him?" Japan asked, seated on the couch with his hands placed neatly on his lap. The room was then filled with angry chatter and insults, but he motioned his hand for everyone to quiet down and listen before he continued. "It's just that Iceland-kun does not seem like the kind of person to be so rude. He is always quiet and shy when I see him."

"That is only because you have not talked to him, aru!" China yelled as he jumped to his feet. "I said nothing to provoke him! I only asked when Hong Kong would be coming home!"

Japan sighed, knowing full-well that China was the kind of person to only see what he wanted see; anything that wasn't his way was wrong. That's how the elder nation's thought-process worked, and it was practically pointless to try saying anything different. Japan did not really like Iceland much at all, but he wasn't narrow-minded enough to completely blame the young nation for their problems. Hong Kong probably left to escape China's thought-process, but the Chinese man was too stubborn to realize that.

The group now huddled in the living room, thinking up a plan to officially split up the two nations and break their friendship for good. With this plan, they'd give Iceland a reason to never come around the Asian nations ever again, and maybe, if they were lucky...they could finally break Hong Kong of his rebellious, European ways.

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><p>"Wait..." Iceland whispered to Hong Kong while being hugged by his family. "You told them...? <em>Hong!<em>" he whined pleadingly. "Why?! You said you wouldn't-"

"We f'rced 'im to," Sweden's deep voice cut in as the group broke their hug and continued to stare sympathetically at their youngest Nordic brother, who looked utterly terrified and broken at the moment.

Norway placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and looked him in the eye. "Why didn't you tell us, lillebror?" he asked in a voice that seemed much too soft compared to his usual emotionless one.

Iceland only stared at the floor. He hated that sad look everyone was giving him. It made him feel little and weak...and he was upset that they'd found out so early. But honestly, how could he have told them? They would have found out eventually anyway...

"So then it's true?" Denmark asked with a slight hint of surprise in his voice. "What Hong Kong said is the truth...?" he asked, wishing for once that they'd been lied to. He found himself glancing down at Iceland's stomach, but he really couldn't see much of a difference; not that he ever payed attention in the first place.

The young Nordic could feel the eyes on his stomach and awkwardly adjusted himself so that his arms were held in front of him, a failed attempt at blocking himself from their view. He bit his lip and nodded numbly. The bathroom was silent for a long while as the group sat on the floor to let the news sink in once again. If Iceland just confirmed it, then it had to be true.

"Wow," Denmark after a very long and awkward silence. "I always kinda knew you were gay, but who woulda thought that you weren't a virgin," he laughed, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

Iceland's face grew to a very dark shade of pink, and this time he bit his lip in a pout, wanting to say something spiteful back but not having anything in mind due to the huge scrambled state his mind was currently in.

"Dane," Norway practically growled as he cut off Denmark's laughter by roughly pulling his tie to choke him. "Now is not the time for your childishness," he scolded and helped his brother up before flushing the toilet and leaving the room at once. "Come, lillebror. We may discuss this over dinner."

With that, the group of five shuffled into the kitchen, where Iceland was ordered to sit down and relax while they prepared the food, despite his protests. It wasn't until they were all sitting at the table, about to eat, that he realized his boyfriend was not sitting with them.

"Where's Hong...?" he asked cautiously, hoping that his family didn't exile the Asian from his life.

The other Nordics looked around curiously as if just noticing that the boy was missing. "Y'know, I haven't really seen him since we got here..." Finland stated as he placed the plates on the table. "I'll go look for him, okay?" he said with a smile and left the room before Iceland could get up to go himself.

Suddenly, a plate piled with different assortments of food was shoved in front of Iceland, and he looked at it with wide eyes. "Nor, that is _way_ too much," he informed his brother. "And I can get my food on my own. Quit serving me!"

"You are eating for two now, so you will need to eat more than just licorice. ," Norway lectured in that emotionless, big-brotherly tone of his that Iceland hated. "Also, you should call me Big Brother. Besides," he continued, "I want you to know that I'm here for you, lillebror. We all are."

Okay, that touched Iceland a bit; not that he'd admit it, but it did. He'd been so worried that his family would be disapproving of this entire situation...that they'd treat him badly for his mistake and do something horrible to his boyfriend. But they were nice about this; accepting of it; accepting of _Hong Kong._

_What on earth did Hong Kong say to them?!_

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><p><strong>Aiyah...I don't even know what's going on anymore. I have the feeling that I might make something bad-ish happen soon. Hm...<strong>

**Thanks for reading~! ****Please review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**So...yeah. Updates are seriously slow now. I still try to do two chapters at a time and post them a few days apart. College takes up much time :-/**

**But anyways, enjoy~!**

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><p>The phone rang throughout the house. China moaned and growled as he realized that the caller would not stop trying. He rolled out of bed and padded out to the living room, where the phone was, and stumbled a bit on the way. Yawning, he picked it up and answered, "Aiyah?"<p>

"...China," Hong Kong voiced quietly through the phone.

"Hong Kong?" the elder asked, slightly surprised by the call but quickly became worried when he realized how off the young nation had sounded. "What's wrong? Did that European fool do something?!" he assumed.

"N-no...I just...I'm at the airport...I forgot money for a cab..." the slightly-distressed and tired young nation explained. He continued, "There weren't any flights to my place...so I came here. I need you to pick me up."

The first thing China thought was that Hong Kong wasn't acting like himself, but he quickly brushed it off as jet-lag or the such. "Aiyah...alright. I'll be there in half an hour," he agreed and promptly hung up, running back to his room so that he could dress himself and leave quickly. He wasn't one to leave his family standing out in the cold at night. And he was glad that Hong Kong had actually come to him for help...that never happened. Ever.

_"Maybe something IS wrong with him,"_ he thought as he drove toward the airport, subconsciously biting his nails while carelessly speeding down the highway with one hand on the wheel. As any parent or older sibling would be, he was worried and could only think the worst.

As he pulled up to the pick-up area of the airport, he immediately stopped in front of the young Asian, who looked very tired, and unlocked the car. Hong Kong tossed his stuff in the back and climbed into the front seat, lazily closing the door and leaning back into the seat. Without any exchange in words, China pulled out again and began driving home again, this time at a much slower speed.

The ride was silent, aside from the muffled sound of the other cars on the highway. China kept glancing over at the younger nation, who was leaning his head against the window and looking out at the night-life with a tired expression; a _sad_ expression, China realized.

Exiting the highway, China drove down the main road of his city and came to a standstill at a stoplight. Taking the opportunity, he observed his passenger more closely. Hong Kong was still leaning against the window, lazily staring at the lights of the city. His arms were loosely crossed in front of his leaning torso, his hair a bit more unkempt than usual, and his expression somewhere between nothing and sadness.

"Light's green," Hong Kong said almost indifferently, and China immediately whipped his head back to the road and began driving again. He still kept glancing at his younger brother; or son? Even he wasn't entirely sure what Hong Kong was to him.

Eventually, the two made it back to China's house and got out of the car. Once inside, Hong Kong headed toward the room he normally used when the family would get together for periods of time. Not bothering to change his clothes, he told China to just drop his bags on the floor and then crawled into bed, and (without realizing it) he let out a very elongated sigh.

The elder Chinese man gently set the bags on the floor beside the doorway. As he straightened himself, he looked at Hong Kong's back (since the boy was facing away from him) and furrowed his eyebrows in worry. Walking up to the bed, he sat on the edge and leaned back a bit so that he could see the younger nation's face.

"What happened, aru?" China asked in a serious yet soothing tone.

Hong Kong answered with silence at first but adjusted himself a minute later so that he was on his back, facing up at China. He sighed inwardly and stared blankly up at the ceiling. He didn't answer.

"Hong Kong," China demanded. "What is wrong? You know you can tell me, aru."

Hong almost chuckled sarcastically at that. He knew better than to trust his brother's words. China only ever listened to himself. And since his current dilemma involved a certain Icelander, he knew that it was basically pointless to spill his heart out...the heart that his family seemed to think was nonexistent in him.

"I'm just tired," he finally answered, not at all convincingly but still in a way that let China know he shouldn't press the subject.

China sighed in defeat and left the room, simply saying "good-night" before heading off to his own room. The next morning, he awoke well before the younger nation and called up the other family members to cancel 'the plan' and told them about how Hong Kong was acting differently. Hearing this, of course, they all decided to meet up at the house and see for themselves. They really were worried, somewhere in their minds, but their main reasoning was really just to see if the Hong Konger really was acting different. After all, he didn't really have feelings...right?

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><p>"WHAT DID YOU GUYS SAY TO HIM?! Iceland shouted furiously at the other Nordics, who looked just as confused.<p>

When Finland had left to find Hong Kong, what he came back with was a note saying that the Asian nation would be going home for a little while to give Iceland some family time. He hadn't told any of them he was leaving.

"We didn't say anything," Denmark said, eyes wide in surprise. "Honestly. I actually kinda like the guy now." The others nodded in agreement.

Norway looked his upset brother in the eyes. "When he told us what happened, he seemed really worried about you, lillebror. And he told us that he would not leave you even if we forced him..." He looked thoughtful for a second before his eyes went back to their emotionless state. "He cares about you."

Iceland looked even more confused now. "Then why did he leave?" he asked, aware that they didn't know either but still wanting some kind of suggestion to ease his worries.

"Maybe it was just awkward for him to be here with us?" Finland said with a genuine smile. It seemed reasonable. With them practically hanging all over him, there wouldn't be much room for Hong Kong to help anyway. Plus there's the fact that he'd been despised by all of them just that morning...

Iceland relaxed a little. He knew this would be a lot for his boyfriend right now, so a break would be nice. He just couldn't understand why Hong hadn't told him...maybe because the others would have tried to get him to stay.

He sighed. "Sounds reasonable enough," he said and headed toward the stairs. "I'm getting a shower." He paused at the base of the stair case and stared at the group that began to follow him. "And I can get a shower on my own," he concluded stubbornly before heading up on his own.

When he was gone, the other four headed back to the kitchen to clean up and talk while they waited. Norway was being especially quiet as he sat and stared into his coffee mug.

"Norge?" Denmark asked, noticing that his friend seemed slightly distressed about something. "Y'know, Ice'll be fine. This is kind of a weird situation, but we'll get through it," he assured, grinning wildly.

"I'm worried about Hong Kong," Norway stated indifferently, surprising the other three in the room, as well as Mr. Puffin, who'd just been sitting quietly most of the time.

"Really?" Finland asked. "How come?"

The Norwegian lifted his gaze from his coffee to Finland. "I think he went home because he felt guilty for telling us," he explained.

"Oh...I guess so...Iceland did kind of yell at him, didn't he?"

"Hong br'ke a pr'mise he m'de," Sweden added, causing all of them to feel immediately feel bad.

Now they were all a bit worried about the newly-accepted boyfriend of their youngest Nordic. And little did they know that Iceland was standing at the top of the stairs, now dressed in pajamas and with wet hair. He'd overheard the everything.

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><p><strong>Aw, the Nordics are worried about Hong now~ c:<strong>

**Thanks for reading~! ****Please review!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thank you Shizumika and Lilchitraaharris (and a few others) for reviewing~! I really love reading your comments. Thanks, guys!**

**But anyways, enjoy~!**

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><p>Iceland slouched and steadied himself against the wall at the top of the stairs. His thoughts were overtaken by worry and guilt. Slowly, he made way to his bedroom, each step feeling heavy as if a weight rested upon his shoulders.<p>

When he finally entered the room, he sat carefully on the edge of the bed and picked his phone off of the night stand. The world felt slow to him, and he found it hard to move his fingers as he scrolled through the list of contacts until he came across his boyfriend's name.

He took a breath and clicked the call button, swallowing the lump in his throat as he pulled the phone to his ear and listened to the ringing. After what felt like forever, a voicemail picked up, and he still held the phone to his ear as his stomach started doing flip-flops. He only calmed slightly when he thought that maybe his boyfriend couldn't answer because he was on the plane or something. That would make sense. He'd just have to try again in the morning...

Unwillingly, Iceland found himself falling asleep without meaning to, phone still held loosly in one hand. When the other Nordics had come up to see what was taking him so long to shower, they cooed a bit at the sight of their youngest member losing to his exhaustion.

Norway carefully pulled the phone out of his brother's hand and placed it on the night stand before pulling the covers over the Icelander, who subconsciously curled into the warmth and let out a very small wimper of comfort. The others smiled, Denmark chuckling a bit.

"Icey can be pretty cute, huh?" the Dane remarked, only to have the Norwegian answer that it'd been a long day for his brother and that the exhaustion was just too much for him. He ushered the others out of the room, and they each started to get ready for bed themselves.

As Norway fell asleep in one of the guest rooms that night, he mentally smiled as he thought back to the image of his resting brother holding onto his cell phone. He knew the hot-headed Icelandic nation had worried himself to sleep.

Iceland really does love Hong Kong.

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><p>"So that jerk Iceland probably did something to him, da-ze!" South Korea shouted in a whisper. "Either that or he just annoyed Hong to death, and he finally decided how stupid a friend that European is."<p>

The Asian family had gotten together at China's house and were discussing what they should do about 'the plan' as well as Hong Kong's apparent change in mood.

"He could just be tired from the flight," Taiwan suggested, though she didn't like her brother's Icelandic friend much either.

"Or China could just be overreacting again," Thailand joked and earned laughs from many of his siblings; a smack on the head from the eldest.

As the group of nations began to poke fun at China, the bored Japanese man noticed a frustrated Hong Kong walk past the room and out the door, bags and phone in hand. After the youngest of the family had gone into the outside world, Japan interrupted the 'fight' in front of him and informed his family of what he'd just scene.

They immediately stopped fighting and ran toward the door, Korea swinging it open fiercely. They could still see their brother's retreating back as he headed down the road in direction of the nearest park. Curiousity peeking their interests, they all decided to follow him and agreed to keep quiet the whole time, else they'd be caught.

After taking the extra time to slip on their shoes, the group of Asian nations quietly made their way to the park. It took them another ten minutes to spot Hong Kong on a bench by a fountain. He had a phone pulled to his ear and seemed to be speaking to someone, so the rest of the family found someone nearby to hide and listen in on the conversation from behind. They were hiding behind a hedge that was about half as tall as themselves, so it made spying easy since they could easily crouch and not be seen, should Hong turn around.

They were slightly shocked to find that Hong Kong's voice had a complaining, stressed tone to it. He never voiced any emotion other than slight irritation or rebelliousness. This only made them all the more curious.

"I swear I won't, like, cause any problems. I'll just stay for a little while," Hong Kong complained.

_"I know lad, but I really do have a lot of work at the moment,"_ England voiced from the other end, upset with himself for having to turn his son away. Hong Kong, of course, was the only one that could hear this, since he did not use speaker phone.

"Then I can, like, help you with work. I'll even, like, make dinner every night," the young Chinese nation pleaded. "I know all sorts of English and Chinese foods; even some Nordic stuff, I suppose." At this point he was speaking more rapidly. He paused and waited for an answer, only to recieve silence. "Dad, _please,_" he begged.

China's eyes widened at the name Hong Kong had used. _I didn't know he saw England as his father..._ he thought as he assumed the Englishman could be the only person capable of that title. He felt his heart sink at the thought.

...

England was biting his lip. He hated hearing his son so desperate. He sighed again and asked the question that was eating him inside. "What happened, Leon?" His voice was soft and smooth, like a mother whispering to her child, but it was also serious and laced with worry.

Hong Kong went quiet and thought for a moment before answering in a quiet voice. "I don't, like...wanna talk about it over the phone...I just don't, like...wanna be alone right now," he admitted and waited for his father to accept his request to stay in his home for a little while.

"Very well," England sighed deeply after contemplating his son's words. "We will talk when you arrive...please, take the first flight out, Leon."

"Okay," Hong Kong agreed and stood, pulling his bags over his shoulder. "Thank you," he added sincerely as his hands began to shake a bit.

"I'll see you soon, lad. Love you," England said and smiled genuinely, though it couldn't be seen over the phone.

"Love you too," Hong Kong said slowly, since he'd never said such words to anyone but Iceland before. "...Bye," he added and hung up shortly after, pocketing his cell and staring sadly down at the sidewalk as he began walking in the direction of the airport.

...

A strange feeling came over the spying nations as they listened to the end of the conversation and watched the youngest member of their family walk off; the one that wasn't supposed to have feelings, wasn't supposed to love, wasn't supposed to _need_ anyone.

The family went from stunned and confused to feeling guilty, worried, and hurt.

They felt guilty because they'd been joking around and hadn't bothered to consider that something might seriously be wrong with their brother.

They were worried because they'd seen their brother express things they'd never thought capable of him; _because_ something might seriously be wrong with him to make him act like that.

And they were hurt because he didn't come to them for help.

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><p><strong>I feel like it's too early in the pregnancy for the Asian family to find out, especially since the Nordics already have...so I'm not entirely sure what's gonna happen next. We'll seeeee...<strong>

**Thanks for reading~! ****_Please review!_**


	11. Chapter 11

**I had a little time skip to move the story forward more. It should start to pick up more quickly soon.**

**But anyways, enjoy~!**

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><p>Hong Kong had been staying with England for nearly a month, and he had kept his promise about cooking dinner every night. He even helped around the house when his father was off at work or resting from work. He refused to go to the next world meeting though.<p>

He'd contacted Iceland over the time he'd been gone, giving the excuse that he wanted his boyfriend to have time with his family without himself being in the way. He also claimed that he didn't want to anger his boyfriend's Nordic brothers again.

He didn't know when he would be leaving England's house, but he did greatly miss Iceland and wanted to be there for him, but something just felt wrong with the whole situation. Over the month of seeing no one but the Englishman (when he was even home, which wasn't often), Hong Kong found plenty of time to laze around and think.

His mind kept going back to the conversation he'd had with his father when he first arrived.

_"I, like, broke a really important promise," he told England. "I hurt him like that...I betrayed him..."_

_England sat in his arm chair, one leg crossed over the other and his hands clasped together on his lap as he listened to his son's story, care in his eyes. "I do believe that Iceland was only scared, Leon," he told his son in an effort to sooth him._

_"Well, I know he was scared. So was I, but-"_

_"But you were scared for a different reason?" England mused, arching an eyebrow and lifting a teacup to his lips._

_Hong Kong stared at his former caretaker. "I...don't know, I suppose." He paused as if trying to collect his thoughts. He received only a nod and thus continued on, still not entirely sure what to say. "I guess...this whole thing, like, scares me," he decided vaguely._

_"Oh?"_

_The young Asian nation nodded slowly and closed his eyes as if this were just a dream he could wake up from. England smiled knowingly._

_"You are still young, Leon. All of this stress you're feeling, lad, are common fears for most adults," the Englishman informed him, only to see a confused expression on the other's face. He sighed and smiled. "It means that you're growing up, lad." Standing with his tea cup in one hand, he patted his son's shoulder reassuringly and left the room shortly thereafter._

The thought of 'growing up,' as England had put it, lingered in the Asian's mind for far too long. It was hard for him to think of. He'd always been called an immature and rebellious child. Never once had he even been compared to an adult, unless it was to spot the differences.

But he couldn't quite understand it. How exactly does _fear_ make him more mature? Nothing had really changed other than the increase in anxiety and the building worry that he wouldn't be good enough to help Iceland; to be a father.

He was thinking of this yet again. It happened every day since he'd been told that he was maturing, most of the time when he was busy caring for England's house while he was gone. At the moment, he was trying to organize a storage closet in the basement. He spent about half an hour doing so, until he accidentally dropped a box from one of the higher shelves.

Yellow-ish smoke filled the tiny room and stung his eyes, making them burn and water. He couldn't see as he tried to make his way to the door, clenching his eyes shut in a vain attempt to stop the pain. He tripped over the box on the way, of course, and ended up falling into the shelves, causing even more things to fall and clatter around him. A few jars of some sort shattered, and something hard fell on his head. After he was sure everything was done falling down on him, he rubbed the bump on his head and continued crawling out of the closet, bits of glass cutting into his hands and knees.

_Oh yeah,_ he thought as he painfully fled back out of the room. He'd forgotten about the smoke bomb he'd hidden in there back when he actually lived with England. _What was I thinking? That could've gotten someone killed..._

And then it dawned on him. It had been nearly a month and a half since he'd done anything mischievous...and here he was, not worrying about what prank to pull next, but worrying about others.

Cleaning his cuts and bruises (and blinking repeatedly to get the sting out of his eyes) in the bathroom, Hong Kong suddenly felt bad for all of the horrible things he'd done to England and China, among others. He'd never felt the wrath of his pranks himself but had always laughed at the others' pain. He figured this must have been karma coming to slap him in the face.

And somehow, more than ever, he found himself wanting to be with family again.

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><p>"England, may I have a word with you, aru?" China asked during the break at the world conference.<p>

"Ah...sure, I suppose," the Englishman answered, feeling slightly awkward at the random request. "Would you like to talk over a cup of tea?" he asked politely. "There is a tea shop just down the block."

The two of them casually left the conference building and made it to the tea shop for lunch. After receiving their hot drinks, the two of them got comfortable in some nice cushioned chairs by the window, sitting across from each other.

"So, what is it that you wanted to ask?" England questioned after placing his tea on the coffee table separating them.

"I wanted to know if anything is going on with Hong Kong," the Chinese man told him a bit shakily, trying not to rudely avert his gaze as the awkward just surged through him.

England's eyes widened slightly, his eyebrows raised in mock surprise, inclining his head forward. "And what makes you think something is going on?" he asked defensively.

China caught the angry glare that the Englishman was sending toward him and looked down at his own tea briefly before meeting the other's eyes again. "Aiyah...it's just...we heard him talking on the phone a while ago...and he didn't sound like h-"

"Himself?" England finished, receiving a careful nod from the Asian nation. "And what exactly _is he_ to you normally?" he ranted. "Do you think he _feels_ nothing simply because he doesn't _trust_ you with his emotions?! Is he just some expressionless brat to you?! Someone you can just order around? Someone you can vent your anger on for your _bloody hatred_ of anything European?!"

China was stunned at the intensity of the Englishman's anger, and so were the rest of the people in the tea shop, who now were staring at the scene after England's outburst. It only took a minute of awkward silence before an employee asked them to leave.

England was in too much of a hurry to get back to the meeting. China tried several times to stop the man and talk, but it all was in vain. Once they were back in the conference room again, the meeting continued for the rest of the day.

Thankfully, none of the other nations, with the exception of the Nordics and the other Asian nations, noticed the cold shoulder that England was giving the Chinese man. The conference continued on as usual, only neither of two argued with anyone, which only served to confuse the others as they saw the Brit in an even more foul mood than usual.

Taiwan and Korea each shared a look with China and nodded subtly and turned glared at Iceland at the other end of the table. If basic approach wouldn't work, then it was time to bring 'the plan' back into action.

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><p><strong>Mm. The Plan wasn't cancelled after all, I suppose. I'm just writing this out my ass. Bad things might happen to Iceland...actually, yeah, I'm gonna do something kinda horrible to him. Apologies in advance?<strong>

**Thanks for reading~! Please review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Fair warning. The Asian nations are just being overly protective this chapter. Not meant to be character bashing 'cos I really do love them all.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>"I'm going to the bathroom before we leave," Iceland informed his brothers and headed off before they could insist on accompanying him. On his way down the hallway, he ran into a familiar blond nation. "Ah, England?" Iceland asked as he approached his boyfriend's step-father.<p>

"Yes, lad?" the Englishman asked, raising an eyebrow as the Nordic approached him.

"Um...do you know when Hong Kong's planning on coming back?" he asked shyly and grimaced when he realized how girly he'd sounded.

But England only smiled. "Yes. He wanted to come back some time this week. I'm not entirely sure when, though." He gave a small chuckle upon seeing the Icelander's face brighten at the answer.

"Thank you!" Iceland grinned and continued on toward the restroom, waving back at the Englishman.

After doing his business, the young Nordic couldn't help but notice the small bump of his stomach. Since no one else seemed to be in the restroom, he decided to poke at it curiously, eventually sighing and going off to wash his hands before leaving.

He'd expected to go back and have his brother scold him for taking so long. Instead, what he got as he opened the restroom door was a cloth quickly shoved over his nose, and then only darkness.

...

"You up, Icelandic trash?"

The Nordic's mind was a complete blur; his eyes blurry and hearing muffled. Trying to keep his head lifted, he waited until he regained his senses before freaking out.

He was in a room completely unfamiliar to him. It was large and looked like a paved basement. He was bound by tight rope and was kneeling on the cold floor. Only one light illuminated the room; an old, dim light bulb hanging from the ceiling above his head. There were others in the room who were standing around him. He recognized them all as his boyfriend's family.

"What's going on?!" he shouted hoarsely, though he was fearful of the answer, for the Asian nations all had very angry and sadistic expressions plastered on their faces. "Let me go," he begged of them.

"Let you go?" Korea said cheerfully. "Why would we do that, da-ze, when we went through all that trouble to get you here?"

"But why?" Iceland asked. He knew the Asian nations basically hated him for some reason, but he'd never actually done anything to make them kidnap him!

"You're going to tell us what you've done to Hong Kong," China ordered, his voice strangely low and stern. The others shouted their agreements, Korea laughing.

"What...what do you mean? Did something happen to him?" the Nordic asked as his face visibly paled at the thought.

"Don't play stupid, da-ze!" Korea shouted and swung his fist at Iceland's face, causing blood to run from the Nordic's nose.

Iceland coughed, and Korea looked as if he were about to hit him again when Taiwan stopped his fist.

"Stop it, Korea," she told him and then crouched in front of the Nordic, looking him in the eyes. "You really don't know?" she asked.

The boy shook his head hesitantly with widened eyes. "H-he just left one day...I haven't really talked to him since...Has he been acting differently?" he asked, hopeful though guiltily because he knew it would be his fault if something had changed in Hong Kong.

"Yeah, he has!" Thailand intervened before his sister could answer. "So he was staying at your place and just suddenly left. Huh," he scoffed threateningly. "Did you do something to him then...?" His voice was uncharacteristically dark.

Iceland gulped and looked down at the floor, which only made the Asian nations assume that he had. Even Taiwan got angry at the thought.

"What did you do to my Hong Kong?!" China screamed as he lunged forward and grabbed Iceland by one of the ropes tied around him, pulling him up off of the ground.

"N-nothing..." the terrified Nordic choked out. It was painful to be held in the air while already being squeezed by ropes. Seeing the anger in their eyes, however, he decided to continue. "W-we just got in an argument," he lied.

China tightened his grip on the rope, squeezing Iceland more. "And what exactly did you say to him, aru?" he asked coldly.

"I just...I got mad at him for telling my brothers something that was...supposed to be a secret. B-but it wasn't his fault," he stuttered. "I mean, they forced him to...I just...I didn't know that when I yelled at him. I-I was just upset that they found out...I wasn't thinking," he admitted, a look of guilt and regret crossing his face.

China almost felt bad for the kid, but that didn't stop him from kneeing the boy in the stomach and dropping him to the concrete floor. "Aiyah, you think I'll believe that? Hong Kong is not someone you should trust with your secrets, aru. Messing with people is his hobby." He headed toward the basement stairs and paused before going up. "Do what you want with him," he told his siblings and headed up to enjoy a cup of tea.

Iceland curled his knees to his chest, even though it was difficult to do with the rope wrapped around him. He was terrified when his captor had hit him in the stomach, and he didn't want it to happen again; for the sake of his unborn child.

"You just gonna give up now, da-ze~?" Korea sang mockingly. "Honestly, what were you thinking trusting our brother with your secrets?" He laughed, and the others joined in. "So, what was this secret anyway, huh?" he chuckled.

The three of them (Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand) began kicking the Nordic for the sake of their enjoyment, trying to get him to tell the truth. They paused in their beating when they noticed that their 'victim' had tears pouring from his eyes. Taiwan and Thailand actually started to feel bad, but Korea only smirked at the sight.

"You gonna tell us your secret now~?" Korea asked kindly but with an underlying sting to his words.

Iceland tried to stop himself from crying so that he could speak, but he couldn't use his hands to dry his face. His body was shaking from both fear and the pain of being beaten. Finally, he took a shaky breath and told them.

"It was Hong's secret too," he whispered shakily through his sobs.

The three of them were about to question him further when a loud crash and yelling sounded from above. They heard the basement door swing open and slam against the wall, and looking up to the top of the stairs, they saw a very, very angry Hong Kong along with a very pissed Norwegian.

China was suddenly thrown to the bottom of the staircase (by Denmark), and a number of greatly-pissed nations flooded into the basement.

Hong Kong was seething with anger and betrayal. His eyes became dark. "You mind telling me what you've done...?" he asked, glaring at his siblings.

The Asians backed off soundlessly, slightly fearful of their brother's tone. When they got out of the way, the bloodied, tear-stricken young Nordic came into view.

_"Iceland...?" _he thought. All of his anger was suddenly gone and overtaken by worry.

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><p><strong>The hero has arrived! And no, it's not America.<strong>

**I feel bad for doing this to Ice. **

**Thanks for reading & please review!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Mm. Family issues.**

**I should really work on my ****_other_**** fanfiction more. XD I've been updating this one, like, every day for a number of days now...**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>Hong Kong ran toward his battered boyfriend and knelt by his side, gently touching his face to look him in the eye. He hated the tears, the bruised, and the blood.<p>

"You alright?" he asked soothingly and began to undo the ropes.

"Y-yeah..." Iceland answered and swallowed uncomfortably. All he wanted to do was cry into his boyfriend's shoulder, but he held it all back, realizing that both their families were there.

Their families, however, were busy fighting in the background, not paying much attention to the scene of Hong undoing the ropes. The Nordics were focused on beating the Asians while the Asians were focused on trying to escape their wrath.

Hong Kong helped Iceland sit up after the ropes were undone and immediately kissed him passionately, much to his boyfriend's surprise. But Ice quickly warmed up to the kiss after having gone a whole month without one.

When they finally broke apart, Hong Kong was staring lovingly into Iceland's eyes, and Ice was doing the same...until he noticed the large group of shocked Asians and ecstatic Nordics that had paused their fighting and were now staring at them. Hong turned his head around to see what his boyfriend was looking at and threw up a peace sign at the group, his expression blank as ever. (In his mind, though, he was freaking out 'cos he forgot they were there.)

"WHAT WAS THAT, ARU?!" China screamed and looked as if ready to pass out. The other Asian siblings seemed just as shocked, their eyes wide open and mouths ajar.

"Aww, you guys are so cute," Finland said, smiling at the couple while still holding his rifle to Korea's face.

"S-shut up," Iceland stuttered in false anger as his face turned red with embarrassment. "I'm not cute." He really didn't have any snappy comebacks at the moment.

Hong Kong turned to his boyfriend and tilted his head slightly. "Yes you are," he said in a joking tone, knowing that it would only fluster Iceland more.

Flustered as he was, Iceland stood up and limped to the stairs, mumbling swears and complaints under his breath. Hong Kong followed after him, laughing to himself, and the Nordics hit the other Asian nations one last time before heading up as well.

When they were all upstairs, they headed into China's living room. Norway forced his brother to sit on the couch and proceeded to see if he was alright. The Nordics and the youngest of the Asians crowded around him, not noticing the kidnappers watching and listening from the doorway of the room.

"Dane, go find a medical kit," Norway demanded as he examined his brother's bruised arms and face. His eyes trailed down Iceland's body a few times, trying to find any other obvious injuries.

Denmark went to do as he was told, glaring at the nations in the doorway. Swallowing, China left quickly and came back with a first aid kit. Still glaring, the Dane grabbed the box and ran back to the couch.

China entered a little while later with a wet cloth to clean the blood with. He felt uncomfortable under the angry stares he was getting, but what made him feel absolutely horrible was the betrayed expression that his youngest brother wore when he looked at him. China bowed slightly and backed off to stand with his siblings again.

After Norway had cleaned up all the blood and bandaging any injuries, he sat up and looked his brother in the eyes. "Iceland," he said sternly yet in a mother-hen-like manner.

"Hm?" the young Nordic mumbled, avoiding eye contact. He tried to ignore the fact that Hong Kong had been holding his hand the whole time.

The Norwegian told his brother to look at him, which he did, and then took a deep breath before asking the question he dreaded the answer for. "Did anyone hit your stomach?" he asked quietly in a serious tone, yet his words seemed to radiate throughout the room.

Hearing the question, Hong Kong's grip on his boyfriend's hand subconsciously tightened, and he became stiff. His eyes grew slightly wider when he saw Iceland nod.

"Who?" he asked the Icelander, tightening his grip even more. "Who hit him?!" he yelled uncharacteristically and glared toward his 'family' in the doorway, his eyes full of pure hate. He would _not_ forgive anyone, not even family, if this did something to his child. "Well?" he asked the other Asians.

China slowly stepped forward, his head hanging a bit in shame. "Aiyah...I...kneed him...but, I mean, why is his stomach so important, aru?" He laughed nervously. "Korea punched him in the face!" he said, trying to shift the blame.

"Hey!" Korea shouted at China but couldn't say anything more because Hong Kong was suddenly beating the shit out of the eldest nation. He, Taiwan, and Thailand stared in shock. They'd never witnessed their youngest sibling actually attack someone before.

China tried to block his face and tried to reason with his attacker, but Hong Kong's movements were too quick and fierce, and it was soon clear that he wanted nothing more than to continue beating the shit out of him. Luckily for China, Sweden at least had enough sense to pull the crazed Chinese boy off of him, holding him back as he flailed and tried to attack again. It wasn't for several minutes that Hong Kong finally began to settle down, panting breathlessly and staring at his eldest brother as with a look between anger and sadness.

"What the fuck is, like...wrong with you?" Hong asked, squinting his eyes in disbelievement. "We never, like, did _anything_ to you!"

"Aiyah..." China began, feeling complete guilt settle in the pit of his stomach, though he still had no idea why Hong Kong wasn't equally upset with their other siblings. "We were just trying to protect you..." he said. Then, trying to regain his pride and honor, he continued, "I told you I do not want you to be friends with that European...and I certainly will not tolerate homosexuality in my family!"

Hong Kong felt as if he were a kicked puppy. "Oh?" he said, tilting his head forward so that his bangs hid the hurt in his eyes. "And what about Japan?" he asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

China hesitated. "He's a special case," he answered sternly.

That was all Hong Kong needed to slip out of Sweden's grip and walk away. He helped his boyfriend up and led him out of the house, hand in hand. He stopped briefly and looked his elder brother in the eye, his expression serious and mature.

"You always go on about your family's honor," Hong said and turned his cold gaze toward the door. "What you did today was really dishonorable, Yao," he scolded as if he were the adult. The maturity in his tone surprised everyone, even himself. And with that, he left; quietly stomped out of the house, gently pulling his boyfriend along.

China gasped irritably as his brother walked out the door. The Nordics followed behind him, each (Sweden especially) harshly glaring at the Chinese man on their way out. After they'd all gone, the group of Asians stood dumbfounded. China was pissed. "How dare he call me dishonorable?! Rebellious brat, aru! He did that just to anger me! Aiyahh~! That boy is so dishonorable," he complained angrily.

"China..." Taiwan began but was stopped by Thailand, who shook his head to say it was pointless.

Korea watched silently as his eldest brother ranted on about Hong Kong. He was still surprised by this whole ordeal and was trying to figure out why his normally-expressionless brother had gotten so upset toward China in particular. He was glad that his brother's attacks weren't unleased on himself, of course, but he couldn't shake the uneasy feeling he got from watching Hong walk out like that. Hong Kong _never_ just walked away like that. He'd always argue until he'd won or until the other person would get fed up enough to walk away themselves.

For being over four thousand years old, China really was oblivious to everything.

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><p><strong>Poor Hong Kong. Nothing ever goes his way, does it?<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I'm surprised by the number of followers this has. Like, when did that happen?! haha**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>Hong Kong was so still and quiet that the Nordics were afraid of how badly he was hurting. They knew it wasn't easy for the boy to go through that with his family. The air was tense and silent during the whole plane trip back to Iceland.<p>

When they finally got back, everything remained awkward and quiet, nobody really speaking their thoughts until Norway asked them to come sit in the living room. Finland left for the kitchen to prepare some drinks; coffee and tea. When he returned with them, everyone but Hong Kong began sipping from their mugs.

Iceland glanced up at his boyfriend, who was sitting perfectly still and staring into space. "You alright?" he asked the Asian.

Hong Kong took a moment to process the words and finally, numbly, shook is head. His eyes were a bit wider than usual as he just stared at nothing. He didn't have the energy to lie, yet he couldn't bring himself to say anything. A pang of pain was pressing on his chest and mind...betrayal more than anything. He couldn't get those words out of his head. _"I certainly will not tolerate homosexuality in my family!...He's a special case."_ Those last four words pained him more than anything, like a huge weight pressed down onto him, daring to stop his breathing.

"Hong...?" Iceland's worried tone shot through the Asian nation's mind.

"Yo, Hong Kong! Talk to us, buddy~!" the loud Dane shouted and crouched in front of said nation. "Come on, forget those jerks! Ya got us now, Leon." He grinned stupidly when Hong's gaze finally shifted onto him, but it slowly crept off of his face when he noticed the mix of emotions in the boy's eyes. "Oi, yer not gonna cry, are ya?"

Norway shoved Denmark to the floor and took his place crouching in front of the non-Nordic. He stared blankly at the boy's face for a while. His gaze was warm yet tense, almost as if staring into the other's soul.

"Ah, Nor...what are you doing?" Finland awkwardly laughed from his seat on the other end of the couch.

Iceland looked at his brother sternly. "What _are_ you doing? Just leave him alone." To his surprise, Norway did not say anything or even make any move to look at him.

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><p><em>"The Dane says stupid things,"<em> Norway explained; or rather, his voice spoke into Hong Kong's mind. _"I know we have not been on good terms until recently...but I would like you to think of me as Big Brother, if that is alright."_ His eyes searched deeper into the Asian's soul and saw the boy crouched and shaking in the vast darkness. He hated to see just how broken his brother's boyfriend was on the inside...but magic couldn't lie. _"You can talk to me, Leon,"_ he said after a while, wanting to know exactly what was hurting the Asian.

Hong Kong looked up and saw nothing but a large, dark space...and also Norway crouched in front of him. _"Where are we...?"_ he asked, the tears on his own face going unnoticed.

Norway's eyes softened for a second before returning to their blank state. _"We are in your mind,"_ he explained. _"Or rather..."_ He poked Hong's chest with an index finger. _"Your soul."_

_"My soul?"_

_"Yes..."_ The Norwegian dropped his arm and sat cross-legged, trying to get more comfortable as he stared up into the teary eyes of the younger nation. _"Forgive me for intruding...I was just worried that you would make the mistake of bottling up your emotions..."_ His eyes softened, and he looked thoughtful and sincere; a bit sympathetic.

Hong Kong squinted his eyes and looked at the other in confusion. He then felt the hot tears on his face and reached up to wipe them away. As he pulled back his hand, he stared at the smeared liquid as if it astonished him.

_"Your soul can not lie,"_ the Nordic explained. The younger nation looked at him incredulously, and he continued. _"You do not have to lie to us, Hong Kong."_

Something fluttered inside of Hong Kong, and he felt tremendously light, almost as if his feet weren't touching the ground. But it was Norway's last mind-spoken words that truly reached his soul and caused him to release all his pain.

_"Family should not have to suffer alone."_

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><p>Iceland and the other Nordics were shocked and worried. For such a long while, they'd been trying to get Norway's attention, but he and Hong seemed to be locked in a staring competition...when suddenely, hot tears began to flow from Hong Kong's distant eyes. And like a waterfall, they just wouldn't stop coming.<p>

Norway blinked and painfully got to his feet. He looked down at the crying nation until the boy tilted his head up to look back. He nodded and turned to leave the room, pulling Denmark by the sleeve and telling Fin and Sve to go with them. There were some protests, but his glaring eventually made it clear that they were to go home so Iceland and Hong Kong could finally talk in private.

A moment later, there were just two nations left in the house; one who was now sobbing uncharacteristically and one who had absolutely no idea what was happening. Iceland tried a few times to reach out at his boyfriend but kept drawing back out of the pure awkward confusion of the situation.

"K-Kongee...?" he asked when Hong finally seemed to get control of himself, quieting down and breathing more evenly again.

Hong Kong took a deep breath and sat back against the couch, pulling his legs up. His eyes were a puffy red and his face covered with trying tears. Slowly, he glanced over at his worried boyfriend and sighed. "Sorry..."

Iceland hadn't been expecting any of this. "N-no, don't apologize...Hong, are you alright? Y-you've never..."

"I know. I'm just, like, pissed off, I suppose. I'm fine."

"Y-you're not _fine._"

Hong Kong paused and shifted his gaze away from his boyfriend. "No...I'm not, I suppose."

"Then talk to me," the Icelander said and scooted close to the other, leaning into Hong's shoulder while rubbing soothing circles on his hand. "Is it what they did to me...?" he asked, referring to the Asian family. "'Cos, I mean...I'm alright...they were just being overly-protective, I guess. A-and they didn't know- I mean, they don't know, you know?...about the baby and all. I'm sure they wouldn't have done that if they'd known."

Hong Kong sighed irritably and straightened himself, wrapping his boyfriend in a hug. "I am pretty, like, pissed about that," he said in his usual, annoyed tone of voice. "But that's not really it...but anyway, if something, like, happens to our child because of that, I will _not_ forgive them." He gritted his teeth and subconsciously hugged his boyfriend tighter. "And they were _not,_ like, trying to protect me. They were just being assholes. It's what they're best at, I suppose. They pretend they care just so they can make me their slave."

Iceland blinked a few times and pulled back so they could see eye-to-eye. "W-wow, um..."

"Ah- Sorry," Hong apologized again. "I just sorta, like, vented, I guess..."

"N-no, it's fine! Just...what'd'you mean they're making you their slave?"

"Oh...well they, like, refuse to accept that I am independent from China and always expect me to, like, do all of the work for him."

"And?"

"And they always scold me for being too European and too immature and disrespectful...tch, but it's not like I'm the only one, y'know? Japan, like, copies from everyone he meets. Korea is, like, the most childish person ever...and Yao is more disrespectful than anyone! I'm just, like...sick of being treated like an object. I mean, China's the one that gave me to England...what did he, like, expect?" Hong Kong grunted and brushed a hand through his hair, then glanced at the expectant expression on Iceland's face.

"So," the Nordic began, "You feel...unwanted or something?"

Sighing, Hong Kong slid his hand up under his boyfriend's shirt and began caressing his bare back lovingly. "Basically," he said and suddenly felt very tired. "I mean, I've been tossed around and abused, like, how many times now?"

"Well, yeah, but the same happened with us Nordics."

"But you guys at least, like, accept each other. Yao's always telling me how wrong anything European is...but I grew up in Europe, so he's basically saying that he hates me for who I am."

"Oh...well I'm sure that's not what he means by it..."

"It is, Iceland," Hong said sternly. "And even if he doesn't, like realize it...well, either way he still basically hates everything about me. Even though he doesn't bother to know me," he mumbled.

Iceland sighed tiredly and leaned into Hong Kong's chest. "Maybe you should talk to him about this. Tell them all how you feel. I'm sure they'll listen."

"No, according to them, I don't have feelings."

"Hong Kong."

"What? I bet emotions are too European for them. Only for me though."

"Hong Kong," Iceland laughed. "Stop," he said and kissed his boyfriend softly on the lips, effectively shutting him up. "That's enough opening-up for one day. We still have jet-lag, you know." He began to close his eyes but opened them again quickly when he was suddenly pulled down to a laying position.

Hong Kong lay across the couch with Iceland on top of him. He immediately closed his own eyes and cuddled into his boyfriend, wordlessly sending the message. And just like that, the two of them fell asleep together.

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><p><strong>I don't like this chapter much...actually, I quite dislike it. :- I kind of wrote it just to get my mind off of something else. And, well, because I haven't updated in a while.**

**Thanks for reading & please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Fifteen chapters. Wow. And this is a long chapter! In honor of Valentine's Day ****_-the holiday that always reminds me that I'm forever alone-_**** I would like to dedicate this chapter to some HongIce time. ^_^ Oh, and a bit of sex time near the end. ;)**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>"Nothing seems to be out of order," said the doctor scanning over Iceland's stomach and looking at a fuzzy screen. He smiled at the young couple who were watching the image so intently. After a while, he finished with the ultrasound and talked to them more about the upcoming months.<p>

Hong Kong lightly squeezed his boyfriend's hand as the doctor excitedly told them how well the baby was doing. They were both a little shocked at how fast time had gone by. Ice was now a little over three months pregnant, and his tummy was certainly starting to show.

After they left and got in the car to head home (relief drowning them in happiness), Ice had to make a phone call. His over-protective brother had told him to call him immediately with the news of whether or not the baby had been harmed by the beating he'd received a while back. He was glad to say it wasn't, and the other Nordics were relieved to hear that as well.

When he finally managed to get his brother off the phone (with the excuse that he was tired, even though he wasn't), Iceland leaned back in his seat and sighed. The last few months had been hectic, but now it seemed like all his worries were gone. He stared out the window at the lively city. He always loved it in the morning, when it was both quiet and noisy. It was calming, and he just loved to observe the world around him. He couldn't remember the last time he felt so light and happy. From the corner of his eye, he could see Hong Kong at the wheel, staring ahead at the road. When his boyfriend finally caught him staring, Ice smiled.

"Hey, we should do something special to celebrate~" Iceland said and watched the corners of Hong's mouth curve upward slightly.

"Alright. Anything in particular you, like, wanna do?"

"Um," the Nordic hummed as he thought. "I don't know. Wanna just go shopping or something?"

"Fine by me. The strip district is, like, two minutes from here anyway, right?" He switched over into a different lane and turned into an intersection, and a few minutes later, they were pulling into a parking lot just outside of a crowded street. They got out and started walking into the strip district, which was basically a street that was blocked off on certain days of the week so that all sorts of shops and vendors could set up and sell whatever. Hundreds of people crowded there to shop and just enjoy the nice atmosphere. Hong Kong made sure to keep hold of Iceland's hand so they wouldn't get separated.

Though he wouldn't admit it, Iceland actually enjoyed being pulled around by his boyfriend. He found it cute how Hong would constantly stop to look at baby clothes. There was an unusual excitement in the Asian's eyes; not the kind of excitement that was there when he was pranking people with fireworks...but something more relaxing. It dawned on Ice that this was the first time he'd actually seen Hong so happy.

It was also their first official date.

"Kongee," the Nordic called to his boyfriend (who was now talking to some random Icelandic toddler). "Hey, we should probably head home soon," he said and approached the two of them. They'd spent all day shopping and had only bought a few new shirts for Iceland, since his current ones were going to be a bit small on him soon enough.

Hong Kong stood up straight and faced his boyfriend, smiling slightly. "Alright, but we should probably, like, help this kid find his mother."

Just as he finished his sentence, a frantic woman came running up with her husband and threw her arms around the child. "Oh, my baby. Don't ever do that again," she said in Icelandic.

"Oh. Guess not," the Asian nation casually declared and started walking off with his boyfriend, only to be stopped when the woman grabbed his arm. "Hm?" He turned and looked at her with his famous blank expression, though his eyebrows were raised in question.

"Ah, sir? Sorry, we were searching for him for over an hour when we saw you talking to him. I just wanted to thank you...he has a very short attention span. If you hadn't stopped him, he probably would have run off again."

Hong Kong furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He had no idea what she'd just said because he wasn't exactly fluent in Icelandic. He'd only picked up on a few words his boyfriend had taught him, such as 'sorry' and 'thank you'. He didn't really know how to respond to her, so he was thankful when Iceland put a hand on his shoulder and smiled at the couple and their child, responding back in their language.

"Sorry, my boyfriend does not speak Icelandic," he told the woman. "But don't worry about it. We are glad you found us so quickly or else we'd probably spend all night searching." He smiled sheepishly and took Hong's hand in his own, about to turn away and bid farewell to the small family.

"Ah, wait! Young lady-" the woman called to their retreating backs, and Iceland immediately stopped in his tracks (flustered) and turned to face her again.

"Y-yes?" he asked, trying to mask his irritation. He was glad his boyfriend couldn't understand, else he'd be laughing his ass off right then.

The woman grinned at them, holding her husband and child close. "I wish you luck with your baby," she said. Iceland's eyes widened, and he blinked multiple times, not knowing what to say. The woman noticed this and frowned slightly. "S-sorry. You are pregnant, aren't you?" she asked, starting to worry that she'd made a terrible assumption.

"A-ah, yeah...I am. I was just shocked is all," the Nordic explained while waving a hand in the air. "I just didn't think it'd be that noticeable so soon."

"O-oh. Well how far are you?" she asked, relieved that she hadn't offended the 'girl.'

"U-um, three months..."

"That's wonderful!" she exclaimed and visually perked up. "Have you thought of any names yet?"

"Oh. No, we haven't, actually..."

The woman smiled again and straightened herself, hooking an arm onto her husband's while holding the child's hand with her own free one. "Well I hope you find one soon. It took us forever to decide on one for our little Brynjar," she said as she smiled down at her son. "Anyway, it is almost past his bed time. We should be getting home soon. Thank you again, miss...uh..."

"Emil...ie. Emilie."

"Ah, alright. It was nice to meet you Emilie. Thank you again."

"Sure. No problem," the Nordic said somewhat awkwardly and finally parted ways with the woman. "God, that was embarrassing," he said under his breath as he and Hong Kong walked to their car. "I can't believe she really thought I was a girl. Am I that girly?" he asked irritably. His boyfriend only chuckled lightly as they walked up to the car and opened the passenger door for the Icelander to get in. He then closed it and rounded to the driver's side, stepping in as well and turning the radio on as the car heated up.

"It's not necessarily that you're girly," he finally answered and then smirked. "You've just, like, gotten a bit curvier since you got pregnant." Shortly after, he got smacked upside the head. "Geez, I was kidding," he joked. "She probably just assumed since she, like, saw your stomach," he explained.

Still, the Nordic pouted, crossing his arms over his chest and staring out the windshield. And thus, they began the drive home with no sound but the radio. The air was both calm and tense, that is, until a fast-paced song about sex suddenly came blasting through the radio.

Iceland blinked and blushed at the lyrics, stealing glances at Hong Kong as he noticed him growing somewhat uncomfortable in his seat. And then he realized why. _Oh._ It had been three months since they last did it, and their little get-togethers used to be a regular thing between them. He knew his boyfriend wanted it again, and Ice would be lying if he said he wasn't having withdrawal issues himself. When the song started to pick up more, he found himself wanting it more and also began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. The rest of the car ride was even more awkward and tense than before, and neither of them looked at each other, even when they finally got back home.

It was around midnight when they'd finally walked in the front door of Iceland's house. It was dark and eerily quiet. Mr. Puffin was fast asleep on the living room couch with an empty bottle of alcohol beside him. While Iceland would normally scold the bird for this action, he really wasn't in the mood to bother.

Hong Kong had headed straight up to bed without a word while Iceland went to the bathroom first. But when he walked into the bedroom, the door closed behind him, and he was gently pinned up against it.

Iceland felt his lower regions growing uncomfortable again as he blushed in the dark and was kissed fiercely on the lips. He quickly parted his lips, allowing entrance to the foreign tongue, which wrestled with his own for what felt like forever before the two of them parted to gasp for air. Ice felt the hot breath on his neck as Hong Kong began to slide his hands up the back of the Nordic's shirt. He himself leaned into his boyfriend's embrace and began to slide his hands under the other's clothing as well.

Without a word, their shirts were quickly discarded onto the floor, and Hong began to unbutton the other's pants as his own were being tugged off with ease. Once they were free of all clothing articles, he gently pushed his boyfriend down onto the bed and began kissing his neck vigorously.

Iceland lifted a hand to Hong Kong's face to stop his actions after a while, and he sat up, pushing the Asian into a kneeling position. Before questions could be asked, the Nordic lowered his head and began pleasuring his boyfriend.

Hong moaned at the action and hitched his breath as his boyfriend worked. Eventually, he couldn't keep from bucking his hips up. "Ice-" he tried to warn before cumming into his boyfriend's mouth. Iceland didn't seem phases and swallowed the nasty substance, licking the Asian's member clean before moving up to kiss him on the lips. "I-Ice, you're, like...amazing..." Hong Kong panted as he ran a hand through the boy's silvery hair.

"It's been too long, Hong." The Icelander smiled into a kiss and wrapped his arms around the other's neck, then pulling them both back onto the bed. "I want you to take me tonight," he said softly as he ran the tips of his fingers down the Asian's cheek, causing him to shiver at the tingling sensation.

Hong Kong smirked and whispered "No objections" into Iceland's ear before pulling back and adjusting himself in front of the other's entrance. "We'll have to go a bit easy this time," he informed as he rubbed the tip of his member in circles against the Nordic's behind.

"I don't care. Just get inside me," the boy demanded brattily, causing the Asian to chuckle lightly while slowly entering. Hong Kong gave him a moment to get used to the feeling before starting in circular movements. "F-faster-" Iceland demanded through a gasp, and Hong obliged. He moved faster and made sure to hit his boyfriend's sweet spot as much as he could while still being careful as to not be too rough. It didn't take long for the two of them to realize that the Fire and Ice spell was still in effect throughout the pregnancy, for their sex was even more pleasurable due to the constant changing of temperature inside of Iceland. Hong Kong chuckled as he thought of how fitting it was for the Nordic's split personality. "Why are you laughing?!" Iceland yelled, though it wasn't too loud due to the strain from the painful pleasure.

"I was just- thinking how- cute you are," Hong answered between thrusts.

The Nordic blushed deeply.

"Ice-"

"I know," Iceland said, knowing that he was reaching his limit. And as if on cue, Hong released his cum inside of the Icelander and fell forward, catching himself before landing on his pregnant boyfriend.

Hong Kong panted and just hovered above Iceland until he caught his breath. A minute later, he pulled out and lay down, cuddling up to his boyfriend while pulling the covers up to their shoulders. He kissed Ice's forehead tenderly and then pecked his lips. "I love you."

"Love you too," Iceland said and buried his face into Hong Kong's neck, falling asleep in peace.

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><p><strong>Happy Valentines Day. <strong>  
><strong>You're welcome.<strong>

**haha jk. jk. XD I really just wanted to write smut for some reason. trolololol**

**...Also, does Iceland even ****_have_**** a city with a strip district? Probably not. ****_/too lazy to research_**

**Psht. Ah well. I should seriously go do my homework now.**

**Thanks for reading & please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ugh, I am sooooo sorry for taking this long. It really didn't feel like three months since I updated...I feel kinda awful now. I've been swamped with a combination of college work and writers block. I really hope this chapter isn't too awful.**

**To "Meow" who reviewed on ch.15: Wow. I guess I got really lucky then. XD Thanks for informing me. Also, thank you for your kind words .w. I'm glad you're enjoying the story...So apparently there is a shopping strip in Iceland called Laugarvegur and there is a hospital next to it. Awesome. **

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>Warmth and comfort engulfed the Icelander as he slept cuddled against his boyfriend's side, arm wrapped across the other's torso while laying his head on Hong Kong's bare chest. Iceland had awakened long before, but everything was too quiet and peaceful in that moment for him to bother getting out of bed. It had been far too long since he'd gotten such a good night's sleep.<p>

And then his bedroom door slammed open.

"Hey, Ice! Wanna come-" Denmark began yelling as he abruptly entered the room and stopped in his tracks. "You..."

Iceland had nearly jumped into a sitting position and whipped towards the loud Dane, eyes wide in surprise by the sudden intrusion. However, when he saw the other Nordic pause like that (looking from the two shirtless boys in bed to the pile of clothing on the floor), his face quickly turned red.

"How about knocking, dumbass?!" Iceland shouted as he threw a pillow at the now-laughing Dane and pulled the blanket up to cover his own bare chest.

"What's, like...all the noise about?" Hong Kong asked with a yawn as he sat up and blinked the crust out of his eyes. He turned and noticed the tall blonde standing in the doorway. "Oh, we have guests," he stated and got out of bed to make way to the closet for clothes. He slightly raised an eyebrow when his red-faced boyfriend began yelling at him for walking around naked in front of people. "What? It's not like you haven't seen it before," he responded, only causing Denmark to laugh even harder and stumble out of the room.

"Hey guys!" the Dane shouted into the hallway. Before Iceland could stop him, he yelled, "Ice had sex!" and ran to wherever the other Nordics were waiting in the house.

If Iceland's face was red before, it looked as if it would explode now. He really didn't want to face the others now. He wouldn't even know what to say to them after Denmark's outburst. Still, he climbed out of bed, careful that the Dane wasn't about to come back into the room, and got himself dressed. A few minutes later, he and Hong Kong headed out to wherever the Nordics were, which happened to be the kitchen.

"Uh...hey, Ice," Finland said with an awkward smile when the couple walked into the room.

Iceland took his seat at the table and grumbled, "Stupid Dane," earning a slight smile from his brother.

"So, _little brother._ Did you sleep well?" Norway asked with a smirk. Iceland's eyebrow twitched, but he refrained from saying anything and instead chose to pluck a fork of scrambled eggs into his mouth. He scrunched his face in disgust, not really liking the taste.

"Um- Are they alright?! Do you not like them?" Finland asked frantically.

Ice swallowed his food forcefully and coughed silently. "N-no. They're fine...thanks..."

"No, really. You don't have to eat them if you don't want to," the Fin explained. "We kind of just barged into your house anyway."

"Speaking of which," Norway interrupted, "you should really lock your door. I didn't even have to use my key to get in."

"Oh..." Iceland said. His mind had been kind of mixed up last night...but he sure as hell wasn't going to tell them that. Unfortunately for him, the Dane was smarter than they thought and started chuckling, earning stares until he finally burst out laughing.

Norway grabbed Denmark's tie and gave it a tug, effectively shutting him up. "Why are you laughing?"

"'Cos of course Ice wouldn't remember to lock the door! He and Hong Kong probably got busy the moment they walked in!" He burst out laughing again.

Iceland lowered his reddened face and wanted to deny the accusation, but he was too embarrassed to trust his voice. Even Finland seemed embarrassed. Sve even had a tinge of red on his cheeks. But of course, Norway was trying his best to hold back the smile that was creeping onto his face. That asshole always loved when his brother got embarrassed. It was like some kind of strange satisfaction for siblings to laugh at each other's pain.

Hong Kong raised an eyebrow at the commotion. He'd been silently eating breakfast at the table, listening to the Dane's teasing and watching as Norway silently laughed at Iceland. It reminded him of his own siblings. As much as he hated to admit it, he really did miss them. But he just didn't know if he could face them after what they'd done. It was like a piece of him had been taken away because of that incident. He knew it wasn't love because he still loved and missed his family very much...It had to be the trust. He'd never really been treated right in the first place, but he never thought they'd do something so harsh. Iceland had been the only 'friend' Hong really talked to, and they had no problem trying to take that away. But did they ever really care for him? China said it himself...He's nothing special.

Hong didn't realize he'd been staring off into space until fingers snapped in front of his face. "Yo, Hong, ya there?" Denmark asked questionably.

"Huh?" the asian nation blinked a few times, coming out of his daze. "Yeah?"

"You okay, man? Ya totally just blanked out for a minute," the Dane laughed.

"I'm like...fine, I suppose."

"Ya sure?"

"Hey," Finland said, popping up beside them. "You know you can talk to us if something is wrong, right?" He gave one of his characteristic smiles as reassurance that he would listen.

"It's really nothing," Hong Kong lied. "I'm just kinda bored." He didn't want to tell them that he missed the people that hurt Iceland. He didn't think it was right to miss them after that, yet he still couldn't help the feeling that he wanted to see them again. The sour tension between he and family was really getting to him. Standing, Hong went to take his finished breakfast to the sink, then turned and asked, "Ice, do you want me to make you something weird again?"

Iceland paused and bit the inside of his cheek. He really did have a craving, but he didn't want to seem rude by turning away the breakfast Finland had made. "Uh...no, I'm fine."

"Iceland," Norway's voice loudly whispered into his brother's ear, causing a shiver to go up the latter's back. "Are you having cravings?" he guessed and was answered with a reluctant nod. He smirked, satisfied with the answer. "Alright," he said as he straightened himself. "What do you want?"

"Um...this is gonna sound weird..."

"Come'on, Ice!" Denmark exclaimed. "We'll make ya whatever you want."

"Okay...lasagna with jelly and pickles?" he told them, and they all just stopped and looked at him, blinking a few times as if they may have heard him wrong. "I told you it was weird," he said and looked away from them, pouting angrily while crossing his arms.

"Alright," Hong Kong said with a blank expression and started getting things out to make it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Denmark shouted and jumped in front of the asian boy. "You aren't seriously gonna make that, are ya?" Hong just stared at him with a raised eyebrow as if questioning why not to make it. "Seriously?"

"He has a craving," the boy shrugged and continued making the food. When he'd finally finished, the Nordics watched in horror as their youngest member dipped the pickled lasagna in a pile of jelly and ate it with a straight face. He actually seemed to really enjoy it. Norway looked to his brother with concern but received a scowl when he'd tried to get Ice to eat something normal instead. Iceland even got a little snappish with him, which caused Finland to laugh nervously and Denmark to laugh harder than he should have at Norge's distraught expression. And thus, the Nordics began mentally preparing themselves for the upcoming months.

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><p><strong>For the record, it took me forever to think of a food combination that would seem kinda gross. lol I don't know WHY lasagna popped into my head.<strong>

**Anyways, I was gonna add a second part to this chapter about Hong Kong's family, but what I have here is about the average for the existing chapters of this story, so I'll just make the next chapter about them...I have the idea, what they're gonna say, and stuff written out already. I'll just have to type it and make some major changes and stuff. Idk. Gonna start on the next chapter now because I REALLY don't wanna get as far behind as I did here...Summer break starts in a couple of weeks. I'm still gonna have a bunch of stuff to do though, so I don't know if that helps TOO much. I'll also try to finish up my other two current fanfics so I can focus on this one then.**

_**Thanks for reading & please review! **_


	17. Chapter 17

**I'm sorry, China...even though you're kind of an ass in this story, I still love you...heh...Anyways, this chapter is going to jump forward in time a bit...just 'cos I really couldn't think of much else to do within the time of that two months & 'cos I wanted to move Ice forward in his whole pregnancy situation. So. By the end of this chapter, Ice will be about five and a half months in.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p><span>-Two months later; at China's house-<span>

China stood at the kitchen sink, silently scrubbing away at the four dinner plates. Usually, there'd be five...but for several months now,the youngest of the Asian family had not been home to eat with his family. Though he didn't say anything, China was rather upset about that. But more than anything, he refused to accept that he'd been in the wrong, and he was currently fuming with thoughts of his sibling.

The others stood in the kitchen doorway, watching their eldest sibling from behind. They could clearly feel the dark aura emanating from him and were just waiting for it to explode. And soon enough, it did...for the hundredth time since the day Hong left.

"I can't believe he's gay, aru!" erupted China as he viciously scrubbed the food from one of the plates. "He's probably making out with that damn European right now."

Korea frowned and stepped into the room; calmly for once. "Yao, I don't think it's that big of a deal that he's gay. I mean, Kiku-"

"It is a big deal!" the eldest interrupted as loudly as he could, effectively slamming the plate into the sink, splashing water all over the counter and floor. "Kiku is his own nation," he went on to explain, now facing the Korean. "Hong Kong is part of my country, and I will not have him representing my people as a homosexual!"

Taiwan rushed into the room. "Hong Kong is independent now, Yao!" she tried to reason, though she felt ready to cry at that moment. She loved China, but she absolutely hated to hear him talking so badly about her younger brother.

Thailand joined in afterward, putting his own word forth. "He doesn't belong to you, big bro," he explained matter-of-factly but with a touch of desperate emotion.

"Aiyah...! I can't believe you traitors!" China whined angrily.

"Traitors?!" Korea screamed, losing all bits of his usual cheeriness.

"After what you said to Hong," Thailand began, "_we're_ the traitors?"

"What are you talking about, aru?" China asked in a quick jumble of words, for he was nearly hyperventilating in anger.

Taiwan crossed her arms and glared into the elder's eyes with determination (and tears). "You basically told him that he's not important, Yao."

"You basically disowned him, saying you wouldn't accept him in our family!" Thailand added.

"I did not-"

_"Yes you did!" _the three younger nations screamed in unison.

"Wha-" China tried to argue, though his anger was replaced with something of shock.

_"Yao," _Taiwan stated boldly. A long pause followed afterward, and she simply glared at him until she was absolutely sure he was listening. "You're the one in the wrong. You have to apologize to him," she said and paused again to look over at the other two. "We all do."

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><p>For the past couple of weeks, the Asian family had been planning to confront their youngest sibling about what they had done and such...however, they weren't entirely sure how to go about it. For one thing, they had absolutely no idea where Hong Kong was in the first place, and their calls always went straight to voice-mail when they tried to contact him. He wasn't even active on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or anything anymore. It was as if he simply dropped off the face of the earth...something they found odd since he had always loved to cause trouble and gain attention.<p>

However, now was their chance. There was a world meeting to take place in England this day, and the lot of Asian nations were very hopeful that Hong Kong would be there...and if not, they could always try to find him through information from other countries.

China led the other three into the room. They glanced around calmly, though they were quite frantic inside. They'd come early, so not too many others were there yet. But they did not see their brother. They did, however, see England enjoying a cup of tea at the meeting table. "England!" China shouted and rushed over, followed by the others. "Tell me now, aru. Where is Hong Kong?"

"Hm?" England glanced up and cocked an eyebrow at the man that interrupted his quiet before the storm (teatime before the frog and hero would arrive). "And why do you want to know?" he asked with some slight hint of cockiness to his voice.

"Because we need to talk to him, aru!" China answered sharply but in a hushed tone so as to not draw too much attention from the other nations in the room.

England glared briefly at the Chinese man and then glanced at the other three behind him before looking him in the eye again. "And how do I know you aren't going to do something again? All of Europe knows what you did," he told them calmly with a completely serious expression to show them that he was not at all happy about this.

China's face paled slightly, and his eyes widened just a bit with the knowledge that the other nations knew what had happened. "W-well I'm not going to do anything! If you don't tell me-"

"Please," Taiwan interrupted, stepping between her eldest brother and the Englishman. "Please just let us talk to him. We need to...apologize for our actions..." she explained, her gaze reaching the ground in shame.

"Please!" Korea begged. "We haven't seen him in forever!"

If England was convinced at all, he did not show it. Instead, he looked back to China with his gaze slightly softer than before. His tone of voice was gentle and calm. "You wish to apologize? Are you expecting him to forgive you so easily?"

"We just want to apologize, aru! Of course he will forgive us. We're family!"

England huffed and mumbled, "I could have thought differently," closing his eyes as he took another sip of tea.

"What?!" China shouted, having clearly heard the Englishman's words. A few of the other nations spared a glance to the commotion but quickly turned away or even scowled at the sight of the Asian family.

"Nothing," England said stubbornly. "In any case, I don't think you're serious enough about this."

"We are!" Korea told him with a sort of upset excitement in his voice. "Aniki even feels bad now!" he explained. England looked back over to China, who appeared to be pissed off...but looking past his expression, the Brit could see just how worn down he looked; bags under his eyes, a slouching posture, somewhat unkempt clothes...

Taiwan placed a hand on England's shoulder, causing his sight to shift to her saddened eyes. "Please. We just want our brother back." Her voice held nothing but honest misery and lost hope. England sighed.

"Fine. But do not expect him to go home just yet. He has more important things to tend to at the moment."

"What do you mean?!" China snapped. "Family is most important!"

"That is exactly my point."

The four Asian nations paused and stared questionably at the Englishman until China finally broke the silence. "We're his family. Not those Nordics!"

England sighed once again, growing tired of China's ignorance. "You just don't understand," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose as if a headache were forming.

"Understand what?" China asked, crossing his arms.

"It is not my place to tell you. If you really wish to know, he did say he'd be coming to the second half of the meeting. You can talk to him then, but please don't be causing any more trouble. As I said, all of Europe knows what you did to Iceland, so I can assure you no one will be pleased should you start something. Now then, I believe my tea has gone cold thanks to you gits, so I will be off to fetch more." He stood, cold tea in hand, and left the room before they could respond.

"W-well," Thailand began, "Hong's coming to the meeting. That's good, I guess..."

"I hope he talks to us..." Taiwan added.

"Yeah..." Korea agreed, and the face of his hair curl matched the sad frown of his own.

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><p><strong>You don't hate them quite as much now, do you? I hope not. ;n; Well, China's kind of a stubborn jerk, but he really does feel bad for what they did &amp; what he said.<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review! **


	18. Chapter 18

**Aiyah, so much apologizing in this chapter...**

**Enjoy!**

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><p><em>"HONG KONG, da-ze!" <em>Korea shouted in joy as he somehow bounded down the hall outside the meeting room during break and glomped his younger brother as the boy made his appearance around the corner.

Hong, however, was not expecting this and was not necessarily pleased. "Get the fuck off of me," he said in an unusually serious and angry (yet calm) tone, shoving the Korean off and continuing to walk past him without a second glance. Korea backed off slowly, a hurt expression on his face. He looked at the ground guiltily, Taiwan and Thailand doing the same, as they had witnessed the greeting.

Taiwan was the first to speak. "Hong Kong..." she began, "we're really sorry. We weren't thinking. We didn't know."

At the words, Hong's eyes widened slightly, and he slipped into a mini panic. He tried his best do hide it. "Didn't know what?" he asked a little too quickly, hoping that no one told them about Iceland's little...problem. Taiwan noticed that he seemed a bit on edge and gave him an odd look.

"That...you two were dating...?"

"Oh." He immediately felt relieve flush over him, and his heart stopped pounding so roughly. He blushed ever so slightly and began to walk away when he felt an arm snake around his shoulders.

"Wait, why'd you just panic, Hong? Huh?" Korea smirked teasingly. "Keeping something from us, bro?" His smirk grew into a big grin when he noticed his brother avert his eyes nervously, showing more emotion than ever.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Taiwan squealed as she jumped in excitement. "What is it?!"

"Tell us!" Korea demanded. "Come on!"

"I-" Hong Kong began but was interrupted by a familiar voice shouting his name from behind. The young Asian nation immediately felt his mood go sour again as he took a deep breath and turned to face his eldest brother. He raised an eyebrow cockily, waiting for China to speak.

"Where have you been, aru?!"

Inside his mind, Hong Kong gave a dull laugh. He really wasn't expecting much from China. "Why do you, like, care?" he answered in a rather sassy, irritated tone.

"Why wouldn't I care, aru?! We haven't seen you in months!"

"Has it ever, like, occurred to you that I didn't want to see you?" the younger asked seriously.

"Wha-" China began, honestly surprised by the coldness in his brother's tone.

"Hong Kong, we're sorry!" Taiwan called out, obvious tears in her voice.

"We were wrong for doing that to Iceland," Thailand continued, glancing up to look his brother in the eyes. "And to you."

Once again, Korea popped up beside the youngest sibling, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Bro, seriously. I invented regrets, and that was a big one."

"We really do miss you," Taiwan added, giving a small but genuine smile. "Please come home."

Hong Kong knew they weren't acting. He could feel it in their auras. They were fairly upset with themselves for what they'd done, and they really did want him back in their lives. He wanted them back too...so the best he could do was to take their words into heart and try to trust them again. After thinking it over a bit, he let his eyes drift over towards his eldest brother; the one that had caused him the most pain. He honestly wasn't expecting much from him.

"Aiyah...I'm sorry too," China apologized. "I didn't mean the stuff I said. I was just mad for not getting my way, aru..."

It was as if the world had stopped breathing to the young Asian nation who now stood, staring incredulously at his older brother. He had not been expecting China to admit he was wrong. There was a long pause, Hong really not knowing how to respond. After blinking a few times, he began to poke at China's face. "Are you sure you're, like, the real China?"

"Yes, aru. I am the real China," the elder nation sighed. The other three siblings began laughing, glad to finally have their brother back in their lives. Hong Kong didn't let up either. He continued to poke China repeatedly. "Stop poking me, aru!"

"Nope. This is your punishment, I suppose," Hong said nonchalantly.

"Aiyah..." It was probably better for him to take his brother's 'punishment' rather than to scold the boy for poking him. He'd already messed up, and quite frankly, he thought he deserved worse than being poked at. But over everything, China never thought he'd be so happy to have his brother annoy him.

Taiwan smiled at the scene. "So you gonna sit with us, Hong Kong?" she asked, tilting her head innocently but with her brow furrowed in worry that he might not want to.

"Sure..."

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><p>"We should all watch a movie later! Right, Aniki?" Korea pounced out of his seat the moment the meeting concluded and started to grope China, who was very unamused. Following his suggestion, the Asian family began making a fuss over Hong Kong, wanting to spend time as a family after being apart for so long.<p>

Hong watched them with mixed feelings. "I'm not, like...coming home, you know."

Everyone paused at his words and then turned on him quickly, bombarding him with questions and worries. Taiwan continuously asked if he'd forgiven them, Korea was screaming and crying that he was sorry, Thailand was calmly trying to explain how regretful he was, and China asking why he wasn't coming home now that he'd forgiven them.

"It's not that," Hong Kong finally said once he'd gotten them to shut up. "I just, like, have more important things to do right now," he told them and then shifted his eyes to the door, starting to walk toward it.

"Like what?!" China shrieked.

"Bro, what are you keeping from us?!" Korea dramatically glomped the youngest Asian and feigned crying on his shoulder. "You can trust us! You trust us, right? You can at least tell _me_!"

"If you tell that idiot, you have to tell us too!" Taiwan ordered.

"Guys, he has every right not to trust us." The others, Hong Kong included, stopped talking and stared at Thailand when he spoke. Hong sighed and took a deep breath.

"It's not that I, like, don't trust you. I just...I don't know what your reactions are gonna be, I suppose..." he trailed off, trying to not look any of them in the eye. He looked back at the door, wanting more than ever to leave right then, before they'd start to question him. He had no such luck.

"Reactions to what, aru?! What are you not telling me?!"

"Okay, now I'm curious," said Thailand, who batted his eyelashes in an effort to look cute. "Tell us?"

"Uh...well...I-"

"Yo, Hong Kong, let's go!" shouted a familiarly loud voice from the hallway. A second later, a grinning Dane appeared in the doorway but immediately turned angry and defensive upon sight of the Asian family. "Hey, what the hell? You guys better not be saying shit to him again."

"They were just apologizing," Hong reasoned.

"Then they should apologize to us too! And Ice especially."

"Aiyah..." China began. "I know. Where is Iceland anyhow?"

"Uh..." Hong Kong swallowed.

"Oh. Shit." The Dane had forgotten about leaving Ice at home with Norway. The kid didn't want to come to the meeting for obvious reasons, such as the five-and-a-half-month-pregnant belly. Well, there was that and his constant complaining of back pain and sore feet. And then there were his unusual food cravings that were sure to be noticed if he'd happen to be seen eating at a meeting, which would have been likely considering how much he'd been eating as of late. But anyway, yeah, the Dane had forgotten about that.

"Huh?! What?" Korea was now immensely curious.

_"Oh!" _Taiwan exclaimed in horror, slapping her hands to her cheeks. "We didn't seriously hurt him, did we?!" Once again, she grew panicked and worried.

Denmark laughed quite suddenly. "Haha! Nope," he said. "It wasn't you guys who- _Pwah!" _He leaned forward, holding his stomach after Hong Kong had side-punched him in the gut to keep him from saying anything embarrassing or revealing.

"Let's go," Hong Kong demanded, pulling the Dane by his sleeve and heading to the door. However, he was blocked by his two very frantic brothers; China and Korea.

"Who what?" Korea asked excitingly. "What happened?"

"Hong Kong, is he alright?" China asked worriedly. "What happened, aru?"

The young nation bit his lip, thinking hard on what to do now that he obviously couldn't just walk out of the room like he'd planned. "Thanks a lot," he grumpily whispered to Denmark. "This is, like, exactly what I wanted to avoid."

"What did you wanna avoid?" Korea asked cheerfully, popping up in his brother's face. He was practically bouncing in excitement. Hong Kong simply rolled his eyes and sighed. "Come on! Come on! Come on! Ya have to tell meeeeeee~!"

Without realizing it, Hong's face began turning red. He really didn't want to tell them that Ice was prego simply because _he_ had wanted to have more-pleasurable sex with him. Unfortunately for him, Denmark could tell exactly what he was thinking and smirked rebelliously. "I'm gonna tell them if you don't," the Dane laughed, amused by the other's obvious frustration.

Hong growled. "Fine, fine. I'll tell them. Just...I don't know. Go back to the hotel, I guess." He turned to his family. "We're taking a walk," he said and speed-walked to the door, expecting them to follow.

"Yay~!" Korea exclaimed in joy and ran out after his brother.

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><p><strong>So, uh...Hong's made up with his family. That's good, right? Is he really gonna tell them though?<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review! **


	19. Chapter 19

**Teehee~! Thank you everyone who has been reviewing. I'm glad so many people like this story. :) I hope you continue to keep up with it.**

**Enjoy~**

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><p>The group of six, Japan included, walked through a lovely park a number of blocks from where the meeting had been held. It had taken a little while to get there, but the others simply followed because Hong seemed to know exactly where he was going. They continued to walk through the park silently until there weren't many people around. Then, they stopped almost abruptly, Hong Kong turning on his heel to face the group.<p>

"Okay, seriously, I don't want this going around, so no telling anyone."

Japan bowed politely. "Your secret is safe with me. Do not worry."

"We won't tell!" Taiwan exclaimed. "Promise!"

Korea grinned idiotically. "I'll try my best not to tell. No promises," he added. He earned many 'Are you serious?' stares from everyone.

Taiwan shook her head at her brother's stupidity. "Anyway, we won't tell. The last thing we wanna do is betray your trust again."

"Yes," Japan added sternly. "And I am very ashamed of you all for what you did." He looked at them with such disappointment that they felt even more shame for their actions and lowered their eyes to the ground.

"Aiyah...I know," China whined. "That was wrong of us. I just hope Iceland's okay," he sighed.

"He's pregnant," Hong Kong said quite bluntly, continuing to walk when all five of the others had stopped immediately and stared at him in shock. He stopped ahead and turned to face them. "Well?"

"W-wha...h-how?" China stuttered, eyes wider than ever. "He's a male, isn't he?!"

"Yeah," Hong answered bluntly again, then turned to continue walking. The others had to run to catch up.

Amazingly, China's eyes got even wider upon a sudden realization. "W-wait. How long?" he asked, remembering how Hong and the Nordics had freaked out that he'd kneed Ice in the stomach.

"Like five months or something."

"W-we didn't hurt it, did we?" Taiwan asked, hands shaking slightly.

"No, and you're lucky you didn't or you'd have all the Nordics after you. And trust me, that's not, like, a good thing."

Before anyone could react, Korea suddenly stopped abruptly in his tracks, stared wide-eyed at Hong Kong, and shouted, "OH MY GOD!" while dramatically clutching his head. The others jumped, some screaming, and turned on him angrily for scaring them by shouting so suddenly.

"Oh my god! Do you _have_ to give us heart attacks?" Taiwan complained with a hand pressed to her chest. Instead of receiving an answer, she watched as her obnoxious brother practically tackled Hong to the ground in a bear hug.

"Korea, what is your problem, aru?!"

"Don't you get it, aniki?" Korea turned his head and grinned rather largely. "Hong didn't wanna tell us 'cos _he's_ the appa!" the Korean explained, still hugging his brother, who was now blushing slightly and not too willing to look up at them just yet. Taiwan, Thailand, and China exclaimed loudly in shock.

"H-Hong Kong, aru. You're-"

Without looking any of them in the eye, the youngest Asian picked himself off the ground. "Who would have thought Korea'd be the one to figure it out," he said and almost immediately got bombarded by the others, who were now in tears over what they could have done to their unborn nephew/niece.

"I can't believe it," Thailand said in wonder. "You're gonna be a dad! I'm gonna be an _uncle_. Oh my god."

"Aiyah..." China cried, trying to stop his tears by pulling a long sleeve up to cover his face. He hated himself even more now for what he'd done and for the way he'd treated Hong, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything through his hacking sobs. For a while longer, the whole family just continued to fuss over the whole situation Hong Kong was in...except for Japan, of course.

"Am I the only one confused by how this happened?" the Japanese man asked, not expecting the others to hear him over their own fussing, but they apparently did because they'd stopped and looked at Hong Kong for an explanation. The boy simply blushed, which caused his sister and Japan to blush in realization.

"Let's just say we, like, got a hold of England's spell book," he offered, not going too into detail. And of course, Korea chose this moment to burst into laughter.

"I didn't know you had it in you, bro!" the Korean exclaimed during his laughing fit. "Say, what'cha use a spell for, huh?" he asked after he'd finally calmed down. The mixture of mortification and embarrassment on Hong Kong's face only made him start up again until he found it difficult to breathe.

"Do I even wanna know?" Thailand asked, feeling very awkward about the whole situation. China seemed just as out-of-place, just staring at the youngest Asian with a dumbfounded expression.

After a while of silence from all but Korea, Hong had decided that he'd had enough of the awkward stares he was receiving and told them it was getting late; that they should head back to their hotels now. Reluctant to be separated again, his siblings tried to talk him into staying with them for the night. It took a while, but after much begging, he sighed and gave in. After all, he'd missed spending time with them, as irritating as they could be. And so, Hong Kong called the Nordics at the hotel and told them he'd meet them in the morning. His family would have to say their farewells again at the airport. But for the night, they would all just head back to whatever hotel they'd gotten and hang out. And that's just what they did.

After going out for dinner, the family spent the night playing games and watching anime and Korean dramas until they simply passed out from exhaustion. Hong Kong was the first one out. He'd fallen asleep, curled at the bottom of one of the beds. His siblings smiled at the sight before moving him up to the pillows, where he'd be more comfortable. Shortly after, the others fell asleep beside him, enjoying his company while he was still there.

"He must have been exhausted," Japan stated in a hushed tone as he came from the hotel room's bathroom, dressed in his silk kimono. He smiled at the young nation that slept soundly, surrounded by his brothers and sister.

China hummed in agreement, staring at his siblings with softened eyes but no smile. Japan noticed this and climbed into bed beside the elder nation.

"Though it is true that you are to blame for hurting Iceland," the Japanese man began, earning a frown from his brother, "you should not hate yourself for it. Mistakes are a part of life, and so are regrets. He understands this well." Japan nodded toward the sleeping boy and smiled contently. China simply sighed and gave a weak smile.

"Yes, I know, aru..." he said and lay back onto the bed, pulling the covers up to his chin before reaching over to turn off the bedside light. "Goodnight, Japan."

"Goodnight."

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><p>"Hong Kong, my man!" Denmark shouted while waving his arms in the air to catch the attention of the Asian family, along with everyone else in the airport. "You made it! What's up?"<p>

Hong smirked slightly while most of the others looked concerned. Who would have thought there was someone as loud as South Korea. Hell, the Dane was probably worse when it came to being obnoxious. "Hey," the young nation answered back casually. "Did you get my stuff?"

"Ja," Denmark answered with a grin and passed over Hong Kong's duffel bag. "Hope you don't mind, but we kinda stole some of the hotel's soap and towels."

"You put them with my stuff?" Hong sighed.

"Yep."

Hong Kong only sighed and rolled his eyes, adjusting his bag so that it was more comfortable in his hand. He then turned to his family and gave a slight bow with his head, awkwardly saying goodbye. However, he didn't have the chance to leave it like that, since all siblings (with the exception of Japan) preferred a group hug over a formal farewell. After breaking the hug, they said goodbye and watched him walk off with the three Nordics.

"Aiyah...is it just me, or does he seem more grown up, aru?" China said as he watched his youngest sibling disappear into the crowd far ahead. The others laughed quietly with him with soft smiles.

"Yeah..." Korea whispered in agreement, then turned away and groped China, making jokes about how old he was to be fussing over such a thing. The matter was quickly dropped as the two began bickering as they left to catch their own flight home.

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><p><strong>Welp. Asian family knows now. It probably went a lot smoother than you guys were expecting, eh? It did for me, at least. Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter.<strong>

**Thanks for reading & **_**please review~!**_


	20. Chapter 20

**Twenty chapters. **_**Twenty**__**FREAKING chapters.**_** Damn. This is (so far) the longest running fanfic I've done. Thanks for sticking with it this far along. I have no idea how much longer it will be, but I have the feeling that it's got a good while to go still. Anyway, I'm posting this chapter a couple days early, so here ya go~!**

**Also, why is it that when writing a yawn, I yawn? Is it because it's past midnight? I don't even know. *yawns* I guess they're just contagious.**

One more thing. This is for the _guest_ that reviewed both this and my "Senseless" story. You requested a oneshot of Spamano vs Itacest. Unfortunately, I don't really take requests. I have too many of my own stories to do already, and I just don't have the time to do something that I don't feel strongly about. Sorry...but thank you for the request anyway. :)

**Enjoy~**

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><p>"Iceland, I can not let you eat this."<p>

The five-and-a-half-month-pregnant nation sent an evil glare toward his brother, who had pulled his lunch away, refusing to let him eat. If looks could kill, the ex-viking would certainly be on his death bed right then. However, Norway did his best to keep his expression stern and strong. Even if his brother's sudden mood swings did frighten him just a bit, Iceland was still his lillebror, and he did not want him eating anything unhealthy.

"No," the Norwegian declared and placed the plate of food on the opposite end of the table from his brother, who continued to glare. While Norway had been reading in the other room, Iceland had decided to make homemade pizza with chocolate fudge as sauce and sardines and pepper jack cheese as toppings. He'd even made a lovely seaweed smoothie to go with it. If it hadn't been for the awful smell and clanging around, Norway would not have made it in time to stop his precious brother from eating such a meal. However, he was unable to pry the smoothie from Iceland's strong grip. "I'm here for a reason, Iceland. If you want something to eat, I will make it for you. You could have hurt yourself." He glanced down at the plate of food. "Or made yourself sick," he finished.

Iceland huffed and sent a stabbing glare at his brother. "No one asked you to stay here with me. I can take care of myself," he declared, quietly slurping the greenish-black smoothie.

"It is a big brother's job to look after his lillebror," Norway stated with a smirk. "I am only trying to look after you."

"Well I can look after myse-" Iceland stopped at the sound of the front door. He stood up without another word and pulled his throw blanket off of the back of his chair, wrapping it around his shoulders as he left the kitchen to greet the others. Norway followed him out with a sigh.

In the entryway, the Nordics were waiting for Norway to get his things to leave. There was really no point in taking their shoes or jackets off since they'd be heading to their own homes after dinner. The four of them were going to a bar near Denmark's home afterward, so they decided to stop by and say bye to Iceland before heading there, even though it wasn't exactly on their way home.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Norway asked before stepping out the door with his things. "I can stay if you want."

"I'm fine, Norge," the stubborn Icelander replied with some bite in his voice.

"Alright," Norway sighed. "Call if you need anything," he said and left, closing the door gently behind him.

Hong Kong watched in amusement as the Nordics drove away. "What was that about?" he asked, referring to how angry his boyfriend had been.

"He's been nagging me constantly," Iceland answered, sighing in exhaustion. His stomach growled, and he blushed in embarrassment. Hong Kong chuckled lightly and wrapped his arms around the Icelander, pecking his forehead and holding him close.

"Even if he's annoying, he's still your brother," Hong told him, earning a defeated grumble from the silver-haired boy, whose head was now buried in the Asian's neck. "Speaking of which..."

Iceland pulled away and looked his boyfriend in the eyes, listening to the story of how he'd confronted his family. Ice could tell through the softness of those eyes that Hong believed they were truly regretful of what they'd done and that he was afraid of whether or not Iceland could forgive them. Of course, the whole situation had been terrifying and quite upsetting, but he could never hold a grudge on the people that his boyfriend loved so much. As Hong stood waiting for approval of his family, Iceland grinned and kissed his boyfriend's lips sweetly. "It's fine, Kongee." He smiled.

Hong Kong smiled back, truly happy that he'd be able to see his family again without any hard feelings between them and his boyfriend. "Thank you, Ice," he said, placing another kiss on the Icelander's lips. "Hungry?"

"Ja," he answered and was led to the kitchen, where Hong cooked them both a nice meal. Like his brother, Hong Kong would not let him eat the pizza he'd made. He was a little pissed about that, but he didn't bother arguing this time.

After eating, the two of them sat on the couch and cuddled under a warm blanket. They watched Dragonfly, enjoying each other's company. Mr. Puffin was asleep on Iceland's lap. When the movie was over, the two leaned into each other for a while, careful to not stir the bird awake. Hong Kong began to nod off. Iceland just sat and thought about the movie, which also made him think about his own soon-to-be baby and some not-so-good situations in which Hong would be left alone with their child. The thoughts were a bit unsettling, even if he knew he couldn't die. He grumbled and nuzzled his head into his boyfriend's arm, waking the drowsy Asian.

"Wha...?" Hong Kong asked, cracking his eyes open a bit to look over at his boyfriend.

"Sorry," Iceland apologized and yawned. "Didn't mean to wake you. I was just thinking."

"What were you, like...thinking about?" the tired nation asked, rubbing his eyes. He turned toward Iceland expectantly, causing the boy to fidget.

"Well...a couple things, I guess."

"Like what?"

"Well...uh...first...just a hypothetical question." He paused to gather his thoughts. "What...would you do if something happened to me, and you had to take care of our child without me?"

Hong Kong frowned at the idea. "Ice, that like, won't happen."

"I said it's hypothetical."

"No, I mean I won't _let_ that happen." Hong Kong now appeared to be wide awake, staring at Iceland with very determined eyes. Ice stared at him in slight disbelief before shifting his gaze to the sleeping puffin, swallowing and nodding while doing so. "So what else were you thinking about?"

Iceland glanced up again and absentmindedly pet Mr. Puffin as he spoke. "I-I was just thinking...maybe we should start deciding names."

Hong Kong raised an eyebrow. "What made you think of that?"

"Well...I don't know. I guess I just remembered some lady at the strip district a while ago mentioned it, and I just told her that we didn't talk about it yet. Actually, I've kind of been thinking about it for a while now...I don't know."

Hong chuckled and grabbed Iceland's hand, holding it in his own and rubbing it lightly with his thumb. He lifted if and kissed his boyfriend's knuckles before adjusting positions so that he was facing Iceland and resting his head on the other's shoulder. "Care to share what you've come up with?"

"Uh...well I haven't really thought of any good ones...just Emilie for a girl, but that's kind of uncreative."

"I like it. It's, like, cute to name her after you. What if it's a boy?"

"O-Oh, you like it? Okay...well I guess that's it if it's a girl. I couldn't really come up with any other names though..."

Hong Kong hummed and furrowed his eyebrows as he thought. The room went silent, only the puffin's tiny breaths making any noise. After a while, Hong readjusted himself so that he was looking down into Iceland's eyes. "How about Liam?"

"Liam? How'd you come up with that?"

"I was thinking, like, it would be cool to mix both of our names. The 'Li' is kind of obvious, but the 'am' kinda sounds like the beginning of your name."

"Oh," Iceland responded, blinking repeatedly. "Yeah, I like that."

"So that's good for a boy's name?"

"Yeah."

"What about the last name...?" Hong asked, not entirely sure what to do since their cultures were so different. "We could do it like yours. So it would be Emilsson, right?"

"Okay, but why don't we use your name instead? Emilsson is a bit too common here, y'know?"

"Okay...so...Xiao-Chunsson...? Isn't that, like, a bit long though? Leonsson doesn't sound right either."

"Hm...maybe just use one part of your name. Like Xiaosson or Chunsson. Those would be if it's a boy though. Why don't we do one for each gender? I think Liam would sound better with Xiao and Emilie with Chun. What do you think?"

"Okay, so Liam Xiaosson and Emilie..."

"Chunsdóttir."

"Oh. Alright. Those sound pretty good, I suppose," Hong Kong decided and nudged his face back into Iceland's shoulder. He breathed a heavy sigh, thinking over the names.

"We can always come up with more," Iceland suggested, thinking that Hong might not completely agree with the names.

"No, I like them," the Asian nation said and yawned shortly afterward. "Hey, why don't we go up to bed?" he asked, tugging Ice's shirt. Iceland smiled and kissed him before carefully picking up Mr. Puffin and handing him over. Hong Kong held the bird in one hand and helped his boyfriend up with the other. They turned out the lights and headed up to bed.

Things were really looking up for them.

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><p><strong>Thank you, guest, for the gross food suggestion. I tweaked it a bit to make it even more gross. lol<strong>

**Also, if you haven't seen Dragonfly and want to know why it would make Ice start thinking these things, you should either watch the movie or look it up. **

**And just for the record, I really freaking love the Icelandic naming system. I hope it made sense to you (if you don't know about it) without me having to directly explain how it works. Also, I hope you guys like the names I chose.**

**Thanks for reading & **_**please review~!**_


	21. Chapter 21

**This chapter is **_**extremely **_**long compared to the others. I just couldn't bring myself to stop! I hope it's as fun to read as it was to write. .w.**

**Also, I realize that I never had any real time (months) going on here...so I came up with something that I think works alright. If the day of conception were to be July 10th, then that avoids the problem of the time zone of pregnancy overlapping Hong or Ice's birthdays. And so...in this chapter, Ice is 6 and 3/4 months in, so I believe the date would be February 3rd...? I think that's right. So then the due date would be around April 10th.**

**I should have done this much sooner...heh...so then I could have had China making a big deal about Hong missing the family Christmas...oops. Well, I suppose I can just use the excuse that they were all too upset to celebrate the holiday anyway.**

**Moving on to the story. Enjoy~!**

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><p><span>-Five weeks later; February 3rd-<span>

"Welcome to our humble home, Sir England," Hong Kong said with a formal British bow as he opened the door for his step-father to enter. He had decided on a whim of boredom that they should hold a baby shower and found it good to entertain himself by letting the guests in.

England chuckled at the boy's act. "Please, call me Arthur," he played along with a bow of his own. "So, about two more months, correct?"

"Yeah," Hong nodded. "Just two months, I suppose..." he said nervously.

England placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled in encouragement. "You'll be fine." He patted the younger nation's shoulder and hung his jacket on the coat rack, following his step-son into the living room, where the Nordics, Sealand, and Ladonia were seated.

Iceland had on a large sweater, making it hard to distinguish just how large his baby bump was at this point. Norway and Finland had tried talking him into putting on something a little more fitting since this was his baby shower, but he was far too embarrassed of his stomach's size to be persuaded by them. Denmark was banned from drinking alcohol at the party, so he found entertainment in making fun of Ice for being so embarrassed. Sweden simply told the boy that there was nothing to be embarrassed about. Still, that did not change how he felt about it. Iceland was not one to like exposure, and so he kept telling them all to drop it and leave him be. After a while of pestering him some more, the group finally decided to give him a break when Norway and England left to prepare something in private; the others opting to follow them out of curiosity, though they forced Ice and Hong to stay since it was apparently going to be a surprise for later.

Hong Kong sat on the couch beside Iceland and took his hand in his own. It would be a while yet before the Asian family arrived, since they lived further away, and all of their current guests had left to prepare something elsewhere. All they could really do was wait for something to happen. But they didn't have to wait long.

Iceland suddenly sat straight, scrunching his face in confusion and moving his free hand to his stomach. Hong Kong looked at him, worried. "Ice?"

"I think..." Iceland began and then felt something hit his hand. "F-feel this," he said and pulled his confused boyfriend's hand up under his shirt, holding it against his bare stomach. They waited.

"Ice, what-" he stopped when he felt his hand get hit twice. His eyes widened and mouth hung open. Iceland quietly laughed at his expression. "Is that...Is the baby, like, kicking?!" Hong asked in excitement and smiled like an idiot. Ice nodded, also smiling at the fact. He didn't know what it was, but something about the baby kicking just made him...happy. It was like proof that his child was alive and, well, kicking.

Just then, England re-entered the room and paused at the sight of the two smiling like idiots. "And what are we so happy about?" he asked jokingly as he made his way toward them. Hong Kong quickly turned toward him, not removing his hand from Ice's stomach, and told him that the baby was kicking. England grinned and asked if he could feel it as well. Iceland blushed in embarrassment but allowed it, feeling awkward as the Brit placed his hand on his bare stomach and waited. Before long, the others rejoined them in the room and saw what was going on, also wanting to partake in feeling the baby's kicks. Iceland wanted so badly to not let them touch his stomach, but it would have been rude to do so since they were all guests at his shower...and so he was forced to put up with the embarrassment of having his entire family touch his extended belly in hopes of receiving a kick.

"Okay, that's enough," the now red-faced Icelander declared when Denmark continuously tried to feel his stomach. Though Norway thoroughly enjoyed embarrassing his brother, he knew just how uncomfortable it was to be touched so much, and so he took the liberty in choking the Dane to help his brother. "Thanks..." Ice offered Norge for getting everyone to stop.

"Thanks, what?" Norway asked, smirking mentally. Iceland got flustered.

"I'm not saying it!"

"Come on, I helped you. Just say it."

"No."

"Please?"

"Can you not?" Iceland asked tiredly, rubbing his temple. Norway frowned and decided not to push his brother any further. He knew the whole pregnancy thing wasn't exactly easy on the young nation, and so he did his brother the favor of not pushing him too far. After all, he'd witnessed just how moody the boy could be nowadays. England had even informed him that stress was bad for pregnant women, and he opted to look after his unborn nephew or niece.

After a while of just relaxing and talking, the group heard a knock on the front door. Hong Kong immediately jumped to his feet and ran to the entryway, opening said door and promptly being tackled by Korea before he could even welcome them properly.

"Now what would you have done if it, like, weren't me who opened the door?" Hong asked the grinning Korean as they got to their feet. He never received an answer and was instead bombarded by his close family. Macau and Vietnam had joined them, for they had been told about the situation soon after the Asian family had found out. Hong had given them permission to tell the two, since they were close family as well. After that, Macau had called him and practically wouldn't leave him alone. This was the first time he'd seen the youngest Asian in person since he'd found out, and of course, he started asking a million questions. After getting them to quiet down, Hong lead them into the living room, where everyone had gathered. They had all gone straight to Iceland, of course, and fussed over him too. The Asians apologized repeatedly for what they'd done, since this was the first they'd seen of him since the incident.

"It's fine," Iceland kept telling the Asian group; some of which were actually in tears. "No harm done." Norway stepped up and patted him on the back.

"Though if there had been, we would have killed you," he intervened.

Iceland moaned, knowing that his brother had probably just made it worse for the Asian family. He looked at them to see that they were all staring at their feet in guilt, Taiwan sniffling a bit. He sighed. "But nothing happened, so it's fine. We forgive you." The other Nordics nodded in agreement, and the Asians smiled sadly and thanked them.

From that point on, the baby shower began, and the lot of them started to enjoy the party. They munched on snacks and talked for a while as they sat around the living room. They really seemed like one big family, just talking and laughing away. Eventually, Denmark declared it time for Ice to open the gifts everyone had gotten them for the baby. Though Iceland was embarrassed to have everyone's attention solely on him, he didn't complain since Hong had noticed his discomfort and decided to help in opening the gifts so that the spotlight was divided between them.

Finland's gift was first; some machine that you used to make your own baby food out of fruit and such. Iceland was thankful for that, since he really did not want to feed his child that unhealthy crap they sold in stores. He'd also bought them a little activity gym to entertain the baby.

Next was Denmark's gift; a bunch of baby clothes that could be used for either a boy or girl. A onesie was included that said, "I -heart- Denmark" across the front. The Dane grinned widely when Iceland and Norway gave him that "Really?" expression of theirs. He got that a lot.

Sweden had made them a nice crib for the baby, but he had actually given that to them when the Nordics initially arrived, since it wasn't really something that could be opened and would only take up space. It was up in the spare bedroom.

Norway told Ice to open his next, and so he did. What he found inside was a dark blue, velvet stuffed bunny with a baby's bib around its neck. The bib was printed like the Norwegian flag and had the words "Uncle's favorite" etched into it. Iceland thought it was adorable but refused to show it. Instead he sent his brother an "I'm really not surprised" look, in which Norway replied with a smirk and "Upset that you're not Big Brother's favorite anymore, Iceland?" Ice simply took a deep breath and shook his head, slightly biting his lip. He continued to open gifts before he'd lose his patience.

Next, an ecstatic Sealand pushed his gift into Iceland's arms. Ladonia walked up shyly and handed him his gift as well. Ice opened them to find a toy model of Sealand's 'ship' with wheels. It was built to be used like a little car for a toddler. The young boy admitted that Sve had helped him make it, but Ice didn't really care. It was a nice gift, though the baby wouldn't be able to use it until he or she was older. He then opened Ladonia's and found an adorable painting of Mr. Puffin to hang on the wall in the baby's room. The young redhead proudly (though shyly) admitted that he'd done it from memory. The Nordics were all fairly amazed by the accuracy of the portrait. Sealand was pouting in jealousy, saying that he could have done better. Mr. Puffin seemed delighted.

"Hey, hey! Tough guy! Open mine next," the puffin demanded as he flew over to Iceland with a tiny box in his beak. Iceland lifted the lid of the box and found a little bow tie that matched the one that the bird was wearing. "Now yer kid can match me," Mr. Puffin said, nodding his head in satisfaction. Everyone laughed.

"Your turn," Iceland said to his boyfriend, who was then bombarded with gifts from his family members.

"Okay, okay. What should I, like, open first?" Hong Kong asked.

"Why don't you start with mine," England asked in more of statement, calmly handing his gift over. Hong took it and began to remove the British-flag wrapping paper. Inside was a bombardment of things; baby clothes, tiny converse shoes, a British-flag baby blanket, a stuffed Flying Mint Bunny, and a little baby bottle. Hong Kong held up each piece of clothing so everyone could see. They all rolled their eyes at the blanket, unsurprised. Hong thanked his father for buying so much and placed everything in a pile of the stuff they'd already opened, moving on to the next gift.

He grabbed a random gift from the pile of unopened ones his family had made beside him. Korea squealed as Hong began to open it, making him guess that it was his. And sure enough, it was. Inside was a DVD of SHINee's Hello Baby series. He said that it might give them ideas for things to do with their own child. Hong Kong rolled his eyes and pulled yet another thing from the open gift. It was a pair of red panda footy pajamas that matched the ones Korea had bought for Hong's birthday a few years back. The whole Asian family awed at the little outfit; Denmark and Finland as well. Hong Kong blushed. He tried not to show it, but he really loved this gift. Red pandas were his favorite.

The next gift was from Macau and Vietnam combined. Inside their gift set was a little jumper chair for the baby to sit while the parents were busy. It had a bunch of little built-in toys to keep the child busy. Along with that were some necessities; a lot of diapers and wipes, another baby bottle, and some toothing rings. He thanked them and continued to the next gift.

Next was China's; a giant plush of Shinatty to help decorate the baby's room. There were some Shinatty clothes in his gift box as well. He'd also given them a bunch of little baby toys; all Shinatty-based, of course. Hong snorted and rolled his eyes. Typical China.

He moved onto the next, which was Thailand's. What he found was a rice maker, a blue baby shirt with a cute elephant on the front, and an elephant pillow-pet. "Ana~. The rice maker is more for you, brother," Thai said with a smile. Hong nodded and thanked him for the gift.

Taiwan's was next. He opened her gift to find a beautiful picture frame. It was silver metal with fancy swirls and flowers etched into it. At the bottom were the words "Family is most important," written in beautiful cursive. Everyone was amazed by the gift. It definitely looked expensive. "That's for your first picture with my adorable niece or nephew," the cheerful nation told her brother. He blushed and nodded, thanking her greatly and agreeing to use it as she wished.

And finally was Japan's turn. His gift included wall flags of both Hong Kong and Iceland, an air purifier for the baby (mainly for when they actually stayed in HK), and a mobile to hang from the ceiling above the baby's crib. Attached to it were little stuffed cats and anime-styled plushies of Hong Kong and Iceland. Everyone fussed over how cute the little plushies of them were and asked if they could have their own. Hong and Ice thanked Japan for the thoughtful and very personalized gifts.

After opening everything, everyone got up to stretch. The couple received a lot of nice gifts. And this was on top of the assortments of things they'd been given for Christmas, including many late gifts from the Asian family, since they had been unable to contact Hong Kong during the holiday season.

Norway and Finland cleaned up the wrapping paper, and they all began to converse; mainly about all of the gifts and stuff. They were all pretty excited about the unborn child and said they'd probably buy even more baby stuff if they see something that really catches their interest.

"So, you guys don't know the baby's gender yet?" Finland asked. Iceland shook his head.

"We didn't really want to know. We'll find out when it's born anyway," the Icelander answered. To this, Denmark awed just to piss off the young Nordic. Norway's lips curved upward a bit. He was really happy to see how adult-like his little brother was becoming. After all, he probably would have done the same. Not knowing the baby's gender ahead of time may be a bit inconvenient, but it was better than spoiling the surprise.

"Aw, come on. Aren't ya guys the least bit curious?" the Dane continued. "I mean, don't you wanna know?"

"I don't really care," Hong Kong told him. He and Ice both looked as if they genuinely didn't mind whether it was male or female.

"Aiyah, I hope it's a girl!" China exclaimed. Vietnam and Taiwan agreed with him. They definitely needed more girls in the family.

"No way, da-ze!" Korea argued. "Boys are best! Uri nara mansae!"

"But if it's a girl, we can buy her cute little dresses and ribbons," Thailand countered.

"Yeah," Taiwan agreed with a sharp nod of her head. "And I can get her pretty flowers to match mine! And we can go shopping and have girls time and-"

"No!" Korea interrupted dramatically. "It should be a boy so I can teach him to grope people!" he exclaimed with a fist in the air. China slapped him upside the head.

Hong Kong looked at him blankly. "You are not, like, teaching my child to grope people."

"Why not?" the Korean whined in response and then pouted irritably at all the blank stares he was receiving. "So what. You're probably gonna teach him to play with fireworks and prank people anyway."

"I will not," Hong denied, earning many questionably stares, since both of those were kind of his things. "Least not 'til the kid's, like, older..." he mumbled. Iceland glared at him, not wanting his child to ever do that stuff. Denmark laughed. The room went silent for a moment, everyone still arguing their thoughts in their heads.

"Ye come up with n'mes yet?" Sweden asked out of the blue. Everyone looked at the couple and waited for an answer. Iceland nodded slowly, for some reason embarrassed to tell them the names.

"What are they?" Finland asked cheerfully. The others were eager to know as well.

Hong Kong shifted awkwardly, afraid to say the names since they were far more European-sounding than Chinese. And he knew how much his eldest brother hated anything European. But he figured that they really couldn't please everybody. It was their child, after all, so it was their decision. "Um..." he began, "Liam Xiaosson for a boy...and Emilie Chunsdóttir for a girl...I suppose." The Nordics and England seemed fairly pleased with the naming choice. The Asians, on the other hand, thought the first names were cute but needed explanation for the last names. After Iceland took the time to explain how his naming system worked, the family seemed to like the names even more. China was happy that both last names were based off of Hong Kong. He was glad they used his Chinese name, too, rather than the name England had given the boy. And so, in the end, everyone was pleased.

Norway and England shared a look and nodded. "Now then," England said to the group of nations, clapping his hands together. "Norway and I have set up a bit of a surprise, and I believe is about time for it, so let's get going." Denmark and Sealand jumped up in excitement and ran from the room. Hong helped Iceland to his feet, and everyone followed England out of the room. They arrived outside, where soft quilts and blankets were spread across the ground for them to sit. It was dark out now, so it was only lit by a couple of lanterns.

Hong Kong and Iceland sat down among the others, looking a bit confused. The Asian family was even more confused and simply waited for the surprise to happen. The two magical nations disappeared over the hill. And soon enough, a blue-violet stream of light shot into the air from over that hill, followed by a smaller green one. They exploded into the air like fireworks and morphed into dancing streams of colorful light. They changed again into animal shapes. Everyone was amazed by the show of magic as England and Norway began to tell a silent story in the sky, using the animated lights alone.

The story was of about a puffin and a panda who fell in love but were forbidden by their families to be with one another because they were so different. They fought often with their elder siblings and were treated rather unfairly, and so they went behind their families' backs and continued to be with each other. One day, the little puffin became sick, and the panda traveled across the world just to be with him and to nurse him back to health. The other puffins realized that the panda truly meant well for their little brother, and so they finally decided to accept him into their little family, even though he was still so different from them. The panda's family, however, did not like this. They wanted the youngest bear to stay with them in the bamboo forests; not to leave them for the faraway nest in which the puffins lived. The little panda was saddened and went to live with his friend, the rabbit, for a while...but then, his family went behind his back and kidnapped the little puffin. This upset him greatly, and he turned against the other pandas very quickly. After saving his love, he decided to stay with the puffins. They were there for him when the little panda started to cry. For a long time, he did not see his family. And when he did, they were sad for what they had done and wanted him to come home again. The panda shook his head and pointed back to the little puffin, who was still very sick. They came to accept his love for the bird and let him go again. The last part of the story showed the puffin and panda cuddling together with a big heart around them.

The lights crackled and dissolved in the sky. Everyone cheered for the awesome story. The Asians were pretty much all crying now; they had actually bawled at the scene where the puffin family had comforted the crying panda. They were now hugging Hong Kong, who was refusing to cry in front of them, even though the story had touched him dearly. Iceland just sat in silence as the other Nordics hugged him. His pregnancy emotions were telling him to burst into tears right then, but he was also doing his best to keep calm.

Norway and England re-appeared over the hill and sat down with the group of nations, who began fussing over how amazing the show of lights was. They certainly couldn't deny the existence of magic now. England smiled and asked if the young couple if they had enjoyed the story. Ice and Hong nodded but didn't say anything. Norway smirked a bit and bent down to his brother's ear.

"Do you wish to call me a certain name now?" he whispered into the boy's ear and got swatted away. He frowned and thought for a bit, then looked up at the stars during the silence. "You know, the puffins are very happy for their little brother," he said, and the other Nordics nodded sincerely.

"The pandas are happy too, aru!" China shouted, the other Asians agreeing as well.

And that was when Iceland's hormones kicked in, and he began to cry (out of happiness, of course). The Nordics smiled and held him in a group hug as the tears poured from his eyes. Hong Kong smiled at the sight before he was attacked from behind and brought into his own group hug. When they had finished crushing him, England placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him in a fatherly way.

"And the bunny will always be there if the panda needs him," England said and brought the boy to his chest in a hug. A few tears escaped Hong's eyes, but they were only noticed by the Brit, to the Asian boy's relief.

"Thanks, Dad," Hong whispered into his father's chest. England hummed and stepped back from the hug, smiling again.

"Alright," Japan said as he stood in front of the mass group of nations, catching their attention. He pulled a digital camera from his pocket and gestured for them to clutter together for a picture. He set it on a tripod and put on a timer, adjusting the angle and zoom so that it framed the group perfectly. He clicked a button and then joined the group of nations; Asians on one side, England in the middle, and Nordics on the other side. Hong Kong and Iceland were in the middle; Ice blushing at the thought of having a pic with his extended belly included.

In the end, the now-massive family had gotten a great photo together, as well as some others. They took pictures with just the Asian family, just the Nordics, Hong Kong with England, and Hong with Ice. Other pictures were taken throughout the night, as Japan went a little camera happy.

By the time the baby shower was over, everyone had passed out in the spare bedrooms, the couch, and even on the floor.

Hong Kong pulled his boyfriend up against him as they lay in bed. They whispered about how great the day had been and how happy they were to be together as one family now. Hong wrapped an arm around Iceland and placed a kiss on his cheek. The two of them drifted off together.

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><p><strong>I think this may have been one of my favorite chapters to write. I just had so much fun with it! Hope you enjoyed it too!<strong>

**On another note, I got to experience an ultrasound on my neck. haha It was weird. And also, I went to a baby shower today (like a week or two after writing this chapter), so I actually discovered that certain things have names. Such as the mobile; I had called it a spinning ring before, but I came back and fixed it before posting. XD**

**Thanks for reading and **_**please review!**_


	22. Chapter 22

**So I looked back at the other chapters to make sure I was counting up the time right for how far along Ice is (This was weeks ago, btw). And I realized...I made A LOT of grammar mistakes without noticing back then. And that's bad since I'm quite the grammar nazi. XD I'm probably still doing it though. But I'm too lazy to proof-read before posting or to go back and fix them all, so sorry. I'll try to be more careful about that as I'm writing. **

**This is also a long-ish chapter.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>"Do you have enough paint?" Iceland asked sarcastically as Hong, Denmark, and Sealand entered his home from their trip to the store, each of them carrying a large jar of paint (or in Denmark's case, three jars). It was a week after the baby shower, and Ice was now seven months pregnant. They'd decided it was about time to start preparing one of the guest rooms for the baby.<p>

"Dane," Norway scolded, glaring at Denmark. "Why did you buy so much for a small room?"

Sealand ran forward in excitement. "Don't yell at him, Uncle Norge! It's for my room, too!" Norway passed the boy a blank, yet questioning, look before moving his stare back to Denmark.

"He wanted to paint his room the same as the little guy's," Denmark explained with his trademark grin, placing the three jars of paint in the entryway. "Where're Sve an' Fin?" he asked, walking off to look for them before anyone could answer.

Hong Kong exchanged a look with his boyfriend and shrugged, asking Sealand to carry the paints to the bedroom. He then turned to Iceland and Norway, telling them that they should probably get going. Because Hong would be busy setting up the baby's room, Norge was to accompany his brother to a doctor's appointment. Ice was not too happy about that but really didn't have much of a choice. Everyone seemed to want him out of the house for a while. After all, he'd pretty much closed himself inside ever since his stomach had really started to show.

"It won't be that bad," Norway told his brother as they made their way to the hospital for the appointment. Iceland simply kept quiet and pouted to himself.

After being called back, Iceland was told to lay down on the usual ultrasound chair. He blushed in embarrassment as his shirt was lifted, exposing his rather-large baby bump. Norway laughed to himself as his little brother's face got even redder when the liquidy gel was spread across his stomach. Even though Ice had told him many times that he didn't need to stay, Norge didn't leave his side.

When the ultrasound screen showed a fuzzy image of something, the doctor began to point out different parts of the baby. Iceland just nodded along as usual. Norway, however, was intrigued. In all his time, he had never witnessed an ultrasound, and it amazed him to actually _see_ a little being moving inside of his brother. For a while, he'd almost zoned out, just staring at the screen wide-eyed. When Iceland noticed this, he forced himself to suppress a laugh; the sound brought Norge out of his daze though. Shortly after, Ice's stomach was wiped, the doctor talked with them for a bit, and they were free to leave.

"What was that about?" Iceland asked as they started up the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. He had a hint of amusement in his voice.

Norway was flustered but didn't show it. "It's just weird to know that there is a living person inside of you."

The younger nation snorted slightly and looked out the window at the passing scenery. "You've known for months now."

"Yes, but it's weird to actually _see_ it inside of you," the Norwegian argued. He wanted to keep the fact to himself that he had actually been able to tell the gender of the baby.

"Whatever," Iceland said, dropping the subject. "Where are we going?"

"Good question. Food?" he asked while driving aimlessly. The two of them ended up in the same strip district that Ice and Hong had gone to before. They walked around a bit before deciding where to eat. Norway made sure that his brother ate enough for two, despite Iceland's protests. Afterward, the two of them walked around more, checking out the different shops and stands. They'd actually found more things they could use for decorating the baby's room, as well as more clothes and toys. Norway payed for everything and carried almost all of it as well, though Ice kept telling him it wasn't necessary and that he could handle things on his own. After a couple hours of walking, Iceland had pretty much given up on complaining. His pace slowed a bit from the pain in his feet and back, but he refused to acknowledge out loud that he was tired. Luckily though, Norway had actually noticed this on his own and lead back to their vehicle.

Once his brother had helped him into the truck and closed the door, Iceland let out a long, exhausted sigh. His feet felt swollen, and his spine ached terribly. He leaned against the window and closed his eyes. Norway chuckled at this and was returned with a low groan, telling him to shut up.

The Norwegian began to drive off. He roamed around for a while before spotting a beach with only a few cars in the parking lot. He didn't answer when Iceland asked why they were there; instead, he simply helped his brother out of the truck (against his will) and lead him down into the sand. He offered no explanation and simply sat down, looking out at the ocean.

"What are we doing...?" Iceland asked as he stood next to his brother, furrowing his eyebrows in irritation.

"Sit," Norway told him, not removing his eyes from the ocean.

Ice sighed and did as he was told; though with a bit of trouble, thanks to his larger stomach. For a while, they just sat there quietly, watching the ocean. The sound of the lapping water and seabirds was rather calming. The wind brushed through their hair. Iceland breathed out his nose, sighing in contentment. It was nice to relax like this every once in a while.

"You've really grown up, Iceland..." Norway said out of the blue, though he still did not look away from the water.

"Um...well...okay..." Ice sputtered, not really sure how to react to such a statement. His brother had always considered him a child, after all.

Norway turned his head toward the younger nation and stared at him thoughtfully. "I've just been thinking...about when Hong first told us." Iceland blinked, slightly surprised. Norge continued, "He was very passionate about your feelings," he began, reflecting on the time when he and the other Nordics had forced Hong Kong into telling them about the pregnancy. "He said that you refused to have an abortion even though you were both scared...That you wanted to take responsibility for your mistake, even though it would be hard..."

Iceland gulped and looked at the sand beside him, not wanting to make eye contact.

"Iceland...you have been very mature about all of this."

The Icelander blushed and turned his head back to see his brother's thoughtful eyes staring back at him. He didn't know what to say...

"I am very proud of you, lillebror."

He _really _didn't know what to say. And so, he simply stared at his brother for a minute, blinking a few times and lightly blushing. He stuttered a bit, trying to get some kind of response out, but the situation was just too awkward...he had to admit though...he was truly happy for his brother's words. To be seen as a mature adult and not be treated like a child...that was something Iceland had always yearned for.

Norway chuckled and shook his head. Iceland blinked rapidly and came out of his awkward daze, staring at his brother questionably. "You still have a long way to go, lillebror..."

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><p>"Hurry! They're, like, gonna be here soon."<p>

"I'm getting it! I'm getting it!"

"Denmark. I said, like, over here. Not there."

"Alright, alright! Geez," the Dane said, moving the heavy crib to where Hong Kong wanted it. Meanwhile, Sweden was nailing pictures and stuff to the walls; also hanging the mobile above the baby's crib. Finland was folding tiny clothes and arranging them in a dresser. Denmark left the room again to help Sealand bring in various toys from the baby shower, following Hong's instructions on where to put them. The room was small, and so the group of five had a difficult time moving around and getting everything ready. It had taken hours for the paint to dry enough, and so they had to rush in order to have it set up before Ice got home.

And luckily, they had made it just in time. They were standing in the middle of the room for a minute, admiring their work, when they heard the front door close, along with the voices of two bickering brothers.

"Hey, Norge! Ice!" Denmark called as he appeared in front of them. "Come on! You gotta see the room. It looks great." He grinned and bounded back to where he came from, not even bothering to help the glaring Norwegian with the shopping bags he was carrying.

Luckily for Norway, Hong Kong and Finland came out to greet them as well. Fin took some of the bags, much to Nor's relief, and led them back to the room. Hong helped his exhausted boyfriend along.

"And..._tada_!" Finland cheered as he swung the bedroom door open to show the brothers what they'd done. "What do you think?" Norway and Iceland's eyes widened just a smidgen as they took in the new look of the room. The walls were a bright blue-green teal color; neutral for either gender. The once-worn wood that framed the window had been repainted to match the new crib that sat along the wall with the spinning wheel above it. Beside that was a dresser, slightly darker than the crib's color. On top of it were some little nic-naks that added to the 'baby' feel of the room. The inside of the bedroom door had been repainted to match the dresser. In front of the window was a changing station, equipped with diapers and other products that they'd already stocked up on. The large Shinatty that China had bought was set up in the corner to the right of the door, along with other stuffed animals and Sealand's gift, as well as an old chest that had been repainted for use as a toy box. A couple of framed pictures hung along the wall to the left of the door. The old, faded curtains had been replaced with new white ones. Even the old, stained carpet had been replaced with a clean white one.

Overall, the tiny room looked great in comparison to what it had been before, which was basically just an old, worn-down guest room that had only a bed in it. It was still small and slightly cramped, but it was perfect for a baby.

Iceland was honestly amazed that they'd been able to finish it in just one day. Their explanation to that, of course, was that Sweden knew what he was doing and worked quickly (And also that Hong used England's spell book to make the paint dry on the spot). Hong Kong even admitted that Sve did most of the work. To this, Sweden simply grunted and rolled his shoulders slightly. Ice thanked him, and the others as well, for helping out. After that, Finland and Denmark put away the stuff that had just been bought, and the Nordics decided to take their leave so that Iceland could rest.

"Tired?" Hong asked as his boyfriend closed the door behind his family after they'd left.

He yawned. "Yeah," he said, rubbing an eye with the back of his hand. "Had to walk a lot today," he explained and began making his way toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna get a shower."

Hong Kong followed him. "Why don't you, like, take a bath instead? That way you don't have to stand." Iceland sighed and nodded, figuring that it wasn't a bad idea. It probably wasn't safe for him to shower now anyways, in case he should slip. And so, he went to start the bath water, only to find it difficult to bend down and reach it. Hong smiled and shook his head as he walked up and did it for him, staying to make sure the water was the right temperature. Ice blushed and pouted at the fact that he'd needed help, but his boyfriend wasn't actually pestering him over that fact, so he didn't complain. "Y'know, this is, like, gonna use all the hot water," Hong said with a half-smile.

"I know," Ice replied as he attempted to pull his shirt over his head. After some struggling, he managed to get it off and dropped it to the floor.

Hong poured bubble mix into the tub; a lot more than necessary, and began to swish around the water until bubbles began to form. He let them grow in number as he took his hand out and shook it, wiping it on his pants to dry as he turned to face his boyfriend. He smirked.

"Bubbles? Really, Hong?," Ice asked pointedly, his eyebrows raised in question, though he really wasn't too surprised. "Where did those even come from?"

"The store," Hong answered, smirk growing into a suggestive grin. "I thought you might, like, need some help, I suppose." He snaked his arms around Ice and passionately kissed him before pulling away due to receiving a kick from the Nordic's stomach. They both looked down at it and smiled, laughing.

"Guess our child doesn't like that," Ice joked and kissed Hong's jaw before resting his head on his boyfriend's shoulder and sighing. They stood there hugging while the tub filled with warm water and bubbles, Hong Kong closing his eyes and gently caressing Ice's bare back. The hug broke when the Asian nation pulled back and kissed his boyfriend's forehead before closing the door and turning off the water. Hong helped Iceland undress the rest of the way and helped him into the tub.

As soon as Ice was in, he sighed in contentment and leaned back, closing his eyes. His silver head seemed to blend in with the bubbles around him. Hong Kong smiled as he rolled up his sleeves and began massaging shampoo into the Nordic's hair. He then realized he's forgotten something to rinse it with and left to fetch a cup, leaving the door slightly ajar. Iceland didn't mind. He was just relaxing the whole time anyway; at least until he heard a familiar voice beside him.

"Hey, tough guy. Didn't know ya liked baths," Mr. Puffin said as he perched himself on the side of the tub and poked at the shiny bubbles with his beak. Ice peaked at him through one eye, amused by the bird's fascination.

Hong Kong re-entered the room, cup in hand, and paused to look between his boyfriend and the bird, closing the door quietly behind him. He and Ice exchanged a look.

"Mr. Puffin..." Iceland began, and the bird answered with a hum without even looking up. "Why don't you get a closer look?" the Icelander asked with a smirk. At that moment, Hong nudged the bird's back end so that he fell into the water and splashed around. The two nations laughed.

"Dat's not funny, ya jerks!" the bird shouted angrily but made no attempt to climb out. Instead, he swam around in the bubbles as Hong rinsed his owner's hair.

"Is there room for one more?" the Asian asked and stared at his boyfriend expectantly. Iceland gave him a pouting look. "Come on," Hong begged, "You used, like, all the hot water." He gestured to the dry paint and dust covering his skin. "I still need to wash too. Besides, I can't reach your back from here." He gave pleading eyes and smirked when his boyfriend finally agreed, and he didn't waste another moment as he undressed and climbed in behind Iceland.

"Happy?" Ice asked and leaned back into his boyfriend, who smiled down at him in victory.

"I just wanted to, like, take a bath with you," Hong chuckled.

"Figured," the Icelander said and dunked Mr. Puffin under water when the bird whistled flirtingly at them.

Hong Kong helped wash Iceland as Ice decided that his puffin could use some scrubbing as well. When the Nordic was finished with that, he and Hong switched places, and he helped the Asian wash up as well. When finished, they climbed out of the tub to dry off. Ice used a dry wash cloth as a towel to fluff Mr. Puffin's feathers.

They went to bed afterward, the puffin sleeping soundly between them. Ice fell into a deep slumber almost as soon as his head hit the pillow. Hong stayed awake a little while longer, taking in the sight of his boyfriend's calm expression and the way his silver hair spilled around his head. He smiled to himself and thought of how he'd never thought this could happen; back when they were just 'friends' and their families hated each other.

Even though he'd been afraid in the beginning, and they had gone through many troubles...he wouldn't change a thing.

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><p><strong>This story has really come a long way since I began. It's always so fun to write, and I'm always looking out to see what I can do next. I have a lot of things in which I wish to do with this still. Next chapter is going to take a bit of a turn away from this cutesy stuff, so I hope you're looking forward to it!<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review~!**

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><p><strong>OH! And if you have time, please check out my new tumblr ask account for the 2P FACE family? Would be much appreciated! <strong>

_**ask-aph2p-face-family **_**on tumblr! :) **

**I just started it yesterday & I already have a few questions in the process of being answered. Would love some more, if you would like to ask anything. **

**Thank you, my awesome readers!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Introducing some other characters in here that I don't normally write...so I apologize if they are even more OOC than usual. **

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>After setting up the baby's room, the week went by quite slowly for everyone. It had been pouring down rain for days. While most of the nations had decided to stay home and relax on the stormy day, there was one that just couldn't skip a drink with a friend; Denmark.<p>

"Hey, can I get another?" the Dane asked cheerfully as he raised his empty bottle in the direction of the bartender. She smiled and handed him another. He took a gulp of the drink and sighed in satisfaction, grinning ear to ear.

Netherlands stared at him blankly, though his eyes held wonder. Even through all the years of drinking with this guy, it still amazed him that Denmark could down full bottles of akvavit one after the other without really seeming fazed.

"Man, life is great," Denmark said, still smiling. "So what have you been up to, anyway? Haven't seen ya much!" he asked, facing Nethers.

"Same old thing..." the Dutch man answered. "Making money and kicking the Spaniard's ass."

"Ah. Sounds fun." He smiled goofily and slouched over a bit, alcohol finally starting to kick in. The two of them just sat a while in silence, continuing to drink, until a third nation spotted and joined them.

"Hello," Estonia greeted the two taller blonds. He smiled kindly. Netherlands simply stared. "M-may I drink with you?" he asked the intimidating man. Denmark turned his head toward the Baltic and grinned, holding up his beer.

"Drink away, my man! You're always welcome!"

"Thanks," Estonia said and took a seat on the other side of the Dane. He ordered a drink, then turned toward the Nordic. "So what's up with Iceland missing all the meetings? He sick or something? Latvia's been worried sick."

Denmark snorted. "Hah. No. He's fine," he said, taking another swig of the akvavit. "Just got himself knocked up."

Estonia stared at him, horrified and began stuttering various questions. Netherlands, having heard their conversation, looked at the Dane in confusion. Denmark seemed even more clueless, wondering why the two of them were giving him such strange looks.

"Huh?"

"D-did you say he was knocked up? As in _pregnant_?!" the Baltic asked, face losing its color. "How is that even possible?"

"Used England's spell book," Denmark said, trying not to laugh. "Turns out magic is real. I been makin' fun of Norge for years 'cos of that."

"So he's seriously pregnant? Like, he's gonna have a kid and everything?" Estonia asked, and Denmark laughed.

"Well, yeah. That's what happens when ya get knocked up."

The two of them continued to discuss the subject, Netherlands listening in on them with eyes squinted cautiously. After a while, he'd decided he'd had enough and left soundlessly. He wasn't yet sure what to think of this situation. Denmark and Estonia left a couple hours after him, going their separate ways. After the drunken Dane was out of sight, the Estonian pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. It rang for a bit before the person on the other side finally answered.

"Estonia?" a small voice asked when it stopped ringing. "What are you calling for? We were just eating dinner."

"Latvia! Did you hear?!"

"Huh?" the Latvian asked through the phone. "Did I hear what?"

"That Iceland's pregnant!" Estonia exclaimed."Denmark just told me!"

"W-what?" the boy stuttered, fumbling with the phone. "T-that's ridiculous, Estonia. Iceland's a boy...Besides, he would have told me."

Estonia sighed. "Well Denmark said he was," he argued. He could hear a conversation now going on with Latvia. The phone fumbled a bit more before a new voice picked up.

"Estonia? What's going on? You say Iceland is pregnant?" Lithuania asked.

"Yep. Don't you think it's interesting? Denmark said a spell book was involved, and he didn't even belief in that stuff last I checked." He nodded to himself. "It's gotta be true. Ice hasn't been coming to meetings, after all."

Lithuania sighed. "Well, either way, it really isn't our business...This could get him in a lot of trouble, you know."

"Come on," the blond said. "Hey, Latvia! Ice is your friend, right? Doesn't it bother you that he hasn't told you?" he asked, assuming it was on speaker.

"W-well...u-um...I guess," the quivering boy answered.

Lithuania rolled his eyes. "Alright, Estonia. It doesn't matter." He shook his eyes and turned to look at the younger Baltic's expression of mixed-emotion. "Anyway, we have to get back to our meal. I'll save some for you," he said and hung up. He sighed and ran a hang over his face. "He just can't stay out of the Nordics' business...Come on, Latvia. Let's go eat."

The next day, Lithuania found himself spacing off in thought as he sat on a hill at Poland's house. He was snapped from his thoughts when the blond pounced on him from behind, pinching his cheek and asking why he was so airy.

"Are you, like, so old that you're spacing out like an old man?"

Lithuania nudged his friend off and rolled his eyes. "No, Poland. I was just thinking. Not that you'd know what that is."

Poland chuckled and smirked. "You're so grouchy. Like, what'cha thinkin' about?" he asked, laying on his stomach in the grass. He smiled up at his friend like a gossiping schoolgirl, expecting some interesting story. He got what he wanted.

"Well...I don't know. Estonia called yesterday and said that Denmark told him Iceland was pregnant. I'm not sure if it's true, but-"

"O. M. G! Are you for real?!" the blond squeed.

"C-calm down. I said I don't know if it's true."

"Then we, like, _totally_ have to find out!"

"No, Pol. We shouldn't get in their business like that."

"So what? This is, like, totally gossip-worthy! I gotta, like, ask everyone." Before Lithuania could stop him, Poland jumped to his feet and ran into his house, heading for the phone. He started dialing everyone he could think of, asking if they knew this little piece of information. They all seemed just as shocked as him.

"Poland..." Lithuania said as he finally caught up and saw his friend on the phone. "You know, this is how rumors start, and I don't think Iceland would appreciate-"

"Oh, hush it, Lithi. This is totally important," the blond nation said as he waited for someone to answer their phone. "Hey, Hungary, have you heard?"

Lithuania groaned and slouched in defeat. There was no point in stopping his friend. After all, he was curious as well...but still. If it would end up being false information, Iceland would sure be embarrassed. But then...if it ended up being true...it could be a lot worse.

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><p><strong>This chapter is short. I just didn't enjoy writing this one that much. Hopefully you guys like it more than I do. Anyway, thanks to the stupid Dane, word is starting to get around &amp; shit's about to go down. Hope you stick around for the next chapter. <strong>

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are very much welcome. :)**

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><p><em><strong>If you have time, please check out my 2P FACE ask blog on tumblr: <strong>_****ask-aph2p-face-family ****

****Thank you~!****


	24. Chapter 24

**Thank you for reviewing last chapter! I kind of thought most of my readers had disappeared or given up on my story, but I saw some less-familiar names, so I guess not. So thank you so much for reviewing & letting me know that you're still here. :)**

_**P.S. Happy birthday to Hong Kong! (And Canada)**_

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Hong Kong groaned. His family was so annoying. Just because he was across the world now, they felt the need to bug him. Korea practically forced him back onto social media, Taiwan kept asking various questions about what would happen after the baby was born, and most of the others were texting and calling almost constantly just to forcefully give him advice on how to raise a child. Thailand was the only one that seemed to kindly mind his own business lately, though he would occasionally call just to see how he was doing. But once again, Hong felt as if they were trying to take control of his life again.<p>

He lay across the bed on his back, his arm cast over his eyes. Groaning, he tried to ignore the repetitive buzzing of his phone; a combination of texts, message updates, and someone obviously reluctant to give up on calling him. As if it weren't bad enough that he had to do everything for his boyfriend, as well as deal with the other Nordics. He just couldn't keep up with it anymore. It was tiring. He was mentally exhausted, and it was only half way through the day. He groaned again in self pity as his phone continued to disrupt his thoughts. He almost wanted to cry.

Why couldn't they just leave him alone for a day? Or even an hour. That would be so nice...But no, they just had to bother him. At least the Nordics had the courtesy to let him relax every once in a while, rather than making his situation worse...He sighed when the noise suddenly stopped and sent the room into a blissful silence. He smiled and closed his eyes, curling up into a loose ball, almost falling asleep...until the phone went off again.

Growling in frustration, Hong Kong swung up and grabbed his phone, quickly flipping it open and pulling it to his ear without looking at the caller_. "WHAT?!" _he shouted, expecting to hear more of China's nagging.

A voice cleared on the other end after seeming to rid itself of initial confusion. "Hong Kong?" the man asked in a deep-ish voice, speaking in Chinese.

Hong froze, face paling slightly. He gulped and sat back on his bed, still holding the phone to his ear. "Uh- Yes, sir? Sorry, sir. I, like, thought it was someone else..." he said with slight dread filling his usually-monotone voice. He bit his lip lightly, waiting for whatever his boss had to say.

"Hong Kong," the man continued, "You realize you have been gone for over half a year?" he asked in more of a statement. The nation gulped again.

"I have..." he responded, hoping dearly that he would not have to explain; or worse, leave.

"Is what I have been told, true?"

Hong paused, wearing a confused expression. "What have you been told, sir?"

"Have you bred with another nation?" the man asked almost too casually.

Hong Kong's blood went cold, and his skin paled. "Sir...where did you, like...hear that...?" he asked, swallowing to soothe his shaky breath. His boss went on to explain how he and many other higher-ups had been informed of the information during a world meeting between the nations. Most of the bosses had been angered by the news, and there were mixed reactions among the nations.

"Hong Kong," his boss stated boldly, yet calmly. "While I respect your actions in taking responsibility, you still have a duty toward my country."

i'His/i country,' the young nation thought fiercely and took a deep breath to keep his voice level. He tsked softly. "With all due respect, sir, I have kept up with all my paperwork. I don't, like, understand why you are so angry."

"You have been gone for months! What is there not to understand?!" his boss shouted in rapid Chinese. "I had thought something awful may have happened to my country when you disappeared! But it seems you were simply neglecting your duties to your people." He nearly snarled at the end.

Hong was quickly growing a headache and visibly shook with anger. He tried so hard to keep his voice monotone, but that anger seemed to flare. "I told you that I have been doing my work," he said, gritting his teeth. "What does it matter if I am there in person? If something were wrong, I'd know just as well from here than I would back there!"

"MUST YOU BE SO SELFISH?!" his boss screamed into the phone so loud, it could probably be heard through the house. Hong flinched, pulling the phone from his ringing ear for a moment before replacing it. "Do you have any idea how much more difficult it is to contact you when not in person?! You cannot simply leave for _seven months _without word! You have a duty to be here! And you call yourself a nation?! We may as well denounce our independence!" the man continued to rant. Hong Kong's initial fury gradually faded down to a heavy numbness, and he simply listened to what his boss had to say. "You should not be raising a child when you cannot even care for your own people, you _worthless_ excuse for a nation," the man scolded with much malice in his tone. "Forget that European nation and return to your post," he ordered, not bothering to hear Hong out. "I expect to see you back by morning," he said gruffly before hanging up.

Hong Kong shakily brought the phone down from his ear and held it loosely in his hand. He felt so numb; so incredibly heavy and light-headed. His breathing was shaky as he thought over his boss' orders, and he hunched over on the edge of the bed, holding his throbbing head in his hands. He sighed sharply.

"Kongee...?" Iceland called softly, laced with concern. Hong looked up to see his boyfriend standing in the doorway, supporting himself with the help of the wall. Hong smiled weakly.

"Hey..."

Iceland looked at him almost sympathetically and made his way over to the bed, easing himself down with a bit of help from his boyfriend. Once seated, he took Hong's hand, and they both just stared at the floor for a while.

"Did you, like...hear all that?" Hong asked with false humor.

The grip on his hand tightened gently in confirmation, and Ice lay his head on the Asian nation's shoulder, leaning in to comfort his boyfriend while also seeking it for himself. Hong leaned into him as well, not knowing what to do but knowing that he didn't want to leave.

"You alright?" Ice asked without looking up. He knew it was a dumb thing to ask, but he really didn't want his boyfriend to keep everything in again.

Hong Kong didn't bother with lying. He shook his head and leaned in for further comfort. It was obvious he was lost with what to do. Neither of them knew. Ice was at the point in which he _needed_ his boyfriend to help care for him, and he didn't know what he would do without the other. And Hong...he wanted this family more than anything. He didn't want to go back to his life of being looked down upon. He wanted to be a father and a good boyfriend...he wanted a _life_; freedom. He couldn't understand why that was so hard to ask.

Just then, the house phone began ringing. Ice perked up at the noise, confused, then got up to go answer it. Hong followed close behind and listened to his boyfriend speak. When the pregnant nation hung up, he wore a disbelieving expression.

"Who was it?" Hong Kong asked when his boyfriend just stood there in shock.

Ice gulped. "M-my brother. He said the whole world knows now...and we're gonna have a meeting tomorrow to discuss...You know; our...situation."

Hong groaned in frustration. "Why can't people, like, just stay out of our business?"

Iceland sighed, raking a hand through his hair. "I don't know...but it's weird. Norge sounded...I don't know. Nervous?" He sent the Asian a questioning look, meaning to ask why his brother would be nervous when Ice was clearly the one who'd be embarrassed at the meeting. Hong simply shook his head and wrapped an arm around his boyfriend's back, gently leading up to their room.

"Doesn't matter. We'll find out tomorrow, I suppose," the Asian nation said before laying his boyfriend down in bed and drifting off into a fitful sleep.

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><p><strong>Wow, so you guys actually liked the previous chapter. Well, I hope you liked this one too. I actually completely rewrote the last part of this one because what I had before was just ugh. <strong>

_**Haven't had any sleep for the past two nights & I just did three different speedpaints in one day + another drawing. /exhausted**_

_**I guess I'll have to get around to writing the next chapter soon. I usually keep myself one or two chapters ahead, but this is the latest one written...**_

**Thanks for reading & please review.**


	25. Chapter 25

**Twenty-five chapters. Holy shit. This is the longest story I've written so far!**

**Thanks to mentogum, aka the Lemon Lover, cloveranimefan, DaddysAngel1013, theworldofhetalia, Mimi011, Lilchitraaharris, Phoebe Marx, and Alessa M for reviewing the previous chapter! Means so much to me to know that you have kept with this story for so long. *hugs* **

**Sorry for taking so long with this chapter!**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Iceland clung tight to the blanket he'd wrapped around himself. He was sitting in his meeting room along with the other Nordics, the Asians, and his boss. It was still too early for the other nations to arrive, but the room was already tense in anticipation. Everyone was nervous about what the others would say...more-so what they would do.<p>

Hong Kong was stressed beyond belief. His boss had called again that morning, angry that his personification had not returned home. On top of that, he was met with a very unkempt China, who explained to him why exactly this meeting was such a big deal. Apparently, there was an old law that nations were not allowed to conceive, and some of the nations were not too happy about it being broken. This news caused even more panic within Hong, but he was still managing to keep his exterior calm and cool. Most of the others in the room thought he wasn't worried...but Norway and Iceland seemed to notice his anxiety just by the way he stood there, shifting his weight every now and then.

Ice, on the other hand, was surprisingly open about his fears. He sunk into his chair and wrapped himself in a blanket for comfort, face flushed with worry. "What if they take it from us? O-or kill it...And what about us? Will we even be able to see each other? What if-"

"_Iceland_," Norway interrupted, and Ice visibly pouted and sunk half of his face into the blanket, eyes sparkling with emotion. Norge sighed and took the chair beside him, letting Ice lean into his shoulder. He wasn't the best at comforting, but for his brother, he would try.

A bright flash suddenly stunned them both. Their eyes widened a bit, and they turned their heads in the direction of the loud Dane holding a camera. Denmark laughed, trying to lighten the mood. "Come on! You two were being all cuddly. That never happens!" he explained defensively when they both glared at him. He continued to grin and aim the camera at them. Iceland bit his lip in a pout but continued to glare alongside his brother, who looked at the Dane with blank yet hostile eyes. Another flash of the camera, and Denmark laughed again, Finland giggling beside him when he saw the picture. And thus began another Nordic quarrel in which the Norwegian choked the Dane, Finland watched nervously, Iceland argued in embarrassment, and Sweden calmly lectured them all.

By the end of it, the Asians had cast several glances to Hong Kong, silently asking if this was normal. He simply stared back at them and shrugged nonchalantly. He was far too used to this kind of thing to really be bothered anymore. But he was thankful, for it did lighten the mood quite a bit. Maybe a bit too much...because Denmark was now trying to get him to take 'cute' little pictures with them as well.

"Come on, Hong! Just one pic," Denmark begged, waved his camera phone for emphasis. "I'll give you a dollar." He grinned goofily, causing Hong to raise an eyebrow.

"No," the Asian responded shortly.

"Ten?" the Dane asked in a sickeningly-sweet voice.

"No," Hong practically scoffed, shaking his head lightly.

"Fiftyyyy?" Denmark grinned kindly, folding his hands together and batting his eyelashes.

"Nope."

"Fine. A hundred."

"No."

"Seriously?" Denmark was getting a bit frustrated now, much to Hong's amusement. "You're gonna make me go to a thousand?"

Hong's eyebrows raised even higher. "You would really, like, pay that much for a photo?"

"Hey. A picture's worth a thousand words!" he laughed.

The Asian nation only shook his head more, almost laughing himself. "Words, not money," he stated.

"Well money talks!"

Hong Kong blinked at him a few times and paused before replying. "Okay, that was a good one, I guess..."

"So you'll take the picture?" Denmark asked with the excitement of a child.

"No," Hong answered with a smirk and walked away from the now-whining Dane to go sit beside his boyfriend. "It's like I get away from Korea and, like, get stuck with that idiot instead," he joked as he took a seat. Iceland chuckled quietly at that, ignoring Korea and Denmark's shouts of defense.

"There's an idiot in every family," Norway added.

Before either of the 'idiots' could protest, the doors to the room were flung open in a careless manner, causing everyone to jump in surprise and look. A familiar trio of blonds entered the room. England had most likely been followed and annoyed by the other two, judging by his irritated expression. America laughed loudly as he walked toward the table, his voice bouncing off the walls. France followed over to the table and stood beside Iceland, already beginning his string of questions. The Nordics worked quickly to keep the man away from the younger nation, Sweden grabbing him by the back of the shirt and pulling him away while the others circled around Ice in a protective manner. France was one of the nations they had been expecting to 'claim' the unborn baby, since he had always been so keen on taking over young colonies.

The room was soon back to its hectic idiocy, America and France arguing with England over pointless little matters and insulting each other. Hong Kong even joined in on teasing his father, if anything to keep his mind busy. Soon, he found himself lost in telling stories of how he and his uncles (the other British Isles) would mess with England and play pranks. He even included some embarrassing events that had occurred, much to the amusement of the other nations listening in. Even Hong couldn't keep a small smile off his face as he recalled the memories of his time under British rule. China himself kept a small, albeit slightly sad, smile on his face as he watched his younger brother's eyes light up like never before. But everyone remained focused on the stories. Even England ended up sharing some old memories, and others joined in as well, talking about happy things that had happened in the past. It really did lighten the mood for everyone. Iceland had even forgotten his previous nervousness and told stories of his own; of times with the Nordics, times with Hong Kong, and even some funny memories he had from living with Turkey. He and the others were so into the stories that they hadn't even noticed the many other nations piling into the room. They only realized when they heard the deep sound of Germany clearing his throat. Iceland cut off mid-sentence and looked over with wide eyes, along with everyone else who had been previously in the room. Practically all of the nations were in the room now, and they hadn't even been aware of it...

"Those are lots of fun stories, yeah?" a calm and childish voice cut through the silence. Russia stood, smiling at the group. "But Ice, you spent lots of time at my place too, so why no stories with me?" He tilted his head in a rather childish manner, but everyone could sense the little threat behind the action. The Nordics instinctively stepped between Iceland and the other nations, blocking him from their view. Ice wrapped the blanket tighter around himself.

"M-Mister Russia," Latvia intervened with a shaky voice. "U-um, m-maybe you should l-leave him alone? I mean, h-he already has a lot to deal with and- Ah!" He flinched as the Russian's strong hand gripped his head, the man leering down at him with that childish smile of his.

"Perhaps little Latvia would like to share stories, da?" he asked threateningly as his grip tightened on the boy's skull, making him squirm and struggle to get loose.

"Let him go," Iceland demanded coldly. Russia loosened his grip and looked up at him curiously before smiling again and letting go altogether. Ice shrank under his gaze. He was so used to standing up for Latvia that he'd forgotten the position he was in...

The Nordics strengthened their stance when Russia began to approach. They stood protectively in front of their youngest member, ready to fight if they had to. Luckily, the meeting was soon called to order as Germany demanded everyone take their seats before things could get out of control. They all breathed a sigh of relief before gaining back their initial nervousness. England did the honor of explaining the situation. Afterward, the young couple was bombarded with questions; some personal and some serious. It was a bit overwhelming, and they weren't yet sure what to think.

Some nations felt a bit left out. Latvia, for one, was upset that one of his best friends hadn't told him he was pregnant. I mean, the kid loved anything romance, and not knowing that Ice was in a relationship to begin with was kind of upsetting. Then there was Turkey. He and Ice were close, despite the circumstances of their past. The man was like a father to the young Nordic, yet he didn't even know that he'd soon be something of a step-granddad. Seychelles also gave an ear-full to Hong Kong. The two were like brother and sister! And she loved children, too. How could he have kept this from her? Well, she wasn't exactly the best at keeping secrets...but still! Either way, though, she was extremely happy for him and couldn't wait for her little niece or nephew. She was excited, to say the least. Even Canada felt left out, though the feeling wasn't at all new to him. He didn't talk to Iceland as much as he used to, but it was still a bit upsetting. He couldn't really be angry though and ended up wishing Ice luck with the baby. The young Nordic seemed to be the only one that heard, giving a nod of thanks.

And then, of course, there were the countries that simply wanted to know; the main two being Hungary and Poland. They kept asking if they could make cute outfits for the baby. To this, they really didn't receive much of an answer and began pouting and complaining. Along with them were Italy, Spain, and France, who simply gushed over the idea of a newborn baby.

But there were also many nations that weren't too fond of the idea. Arguments filled the room quickly. Most of them seemed to side with the expecting couple...but there was still a good amount of them who were not too pleased. And that's without counting the bosses; many of which had called during the meeting to put in their two cents. They used excuses such as, "Nations have too much work already to be responsible for a child," to which was easily countered by the fact that nations often raised multiple colonies and micronations at a time. Then there was also the fact that "A child could cause war," which was countered by the idea that it's not the child but the other nations that bother with it. And of course, the idea that "If they could have children, then so can other nations" came up. To this...well, there really was no counter. And it _could_ be a problem to have too many of them around. But...at the same time, there weren't many female nations, and the large majority of nations couldn't use magic anyway...so the chance of other nations having children as well was very slim. But still, nations and bosses argued; and fiercely, at that.

But then there was Russia. The giant, sweet-faced teddy bear that continued to stare and smile at Iceland, who slightly shrunk under his gaze. No one else seemed to notice aside from Hong Kong, who was glaring back at the silent Russian. The man's words, cold as ice, cut through the room like a sword. "Why do you not come live with me, little Iceland?" he asked in more of a statement. Norway, standing nearby, immediately stiffened and turned his attention to the large man. The other Nordics followed his gaze, which in turn caused the other nations to look as well. There sat Russia with that creepy smile of his, eyes not leaving the pregnant nation.

"I will not let you go near Iceland, aru!" China yelled.

"Yeah!" Denmark shouted in agreement. Many others joined in, standing up for the young Nordic, who honestly felt amazed to not be overlooked for once, even if the situation was not the best.

"You do not understand," Russia defended himself. "He and the child will become one with me."

"M-Mister Russia!" Latvia yelled, standing between the scary man and his friend. Even if he was shaking like a leaf, he would not let Iceland be put in such danger. "H-He is fine with the Nordics. T-There is no need f-for him to go with you."

"Latviaaa..." the Russian chimed and was about to step forward when someone caught his arm. He looked over to see the former empire, Turkey.

"You lay a hand on them, and you will be on my bad side," the masked man warned in a dark manner. He was upset that Iceland hadn't told him about the pregnancy, but that wouldn't stop him from protecting the boy.

Many other nations joined the Turkish man in threatening Russia and stood by to protect Iceland. From then on, the air of the meeting became very thick and tense. For a while, nobody spoke, for they'd already made it pretty obvious which side they were on by now. There wasn't much use in arguing further. However...even if the nations themselves were alright with the idea of one of their own raising a child, that did not change the opinions of their bosses; most of which were _not_ happy. The room was filled with ringing phones, which was soon replaced with the clashing sound of many nations bickering with said bosses. It was hectic.

Iceland groaned to himself. All of this noise was making his head pound, and no matter how hard he tried to block it out by wrapping the blanket over his head, it would not go away. Why did people have to be so difficult? Couldn't they just let him live his own life already? Why was it such a big deal? He leaned sideways for support, resting his blanketed head on Norway's shoulder. The latter looked over from his conversation on the phone, eyeing the blanket worriedly before telling his boss that he'd call back shortly.

As soon as he'd pocketed his phone, Norway tapped on Ice's head, getting the boy to uncover his face. "You feeling alright?" he asked his brother, who tiredly shook his head and went to cover it with the blanket again. Norge caught his arm and coaxed him up to his feet. As he pushed in their chairs and supported Ice's weight, he tapped Hong Kong on the shoulder, receiving a nod from the younger nation before leaving the room.

It was much quieter once they closed the door, though the bickering voices could still be heard in the hallway. Norway lead his brother further away from the noise, until they were in a nice quiet room down the hall. Luckily, it had a bench that Ice could lay down and relax on for a while. They weren't really needed in the meeting right now anyway. Norge sat down and lifted his brother's head onto his lap, despite the boy's protests. They just sat there for a while in peace. He stroked his fingers through the younger Nordic's silvery hair, easing the boy's stress and letting him relax, despite the awkward position.

"You alright?" he asked Iceland after a while, continuing to stroke the boy's hair.

Iceland mumbled before answering with a small "Yeah" and breathing out a long sigh. He tried to protest the exhaustion that was creeping up upon him, but unfortunately, he lost the battle and closed his eyes, slipping off into a comfortable slumber.

Norway smiled down at Iceland. His little brother really was adorable. But...would he really be alright...?

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><p><strong>Erm...hope you liked this chapter. I'm not entirely sure about it, but I hope it's good enough. Denmark's an idiot. And I added a short brotherly moment between Norge and Ice because those two are adorable. x3<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review.**


	26. Chapter 26

**Sorry I took so long. Meant to finish this a while ago, but my mind couldn't write the rest of this chapter for some reason & I've been on the other side of the country for the past two weeks with no internet. Sooo...ah...I hope this isn't a disappointment. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Hong Kong stood off to the side of the room, watching as everything went haywire. Almost all the nations were on their phones, arguing with their bosses. It had been about five minutes since his boyfriend left, and finally, his own cell phone started to ring. Taking a deep breath, he pulled the phone out of his pocket and recognized the number as being his boss. Quickly, he stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him before answering.<p>

"Hello, sir?" he greeted in Chinese.

"I thought I told you to be in your own damn country by this morning," the man on the other end flared and impatiently waited for a response.

Hong winced at the loud voice. "With all due respect, sir...a meeting was called last minute," he explained, but of course his boss wouldn't listen.

"Yes, I am aware. I am at a meeting with some of the other nations' leaders as well."

"Ah...then, sir, why did you-"

"Because I want you to know that I am not happy with your decision to defy me. Quite frankly, I have had enough of your rebellious nature. Something _will _be done about this matter. It is simply ridiculous to let a nation raise a child," the man rattled on. "And until we have come to a clear decision, that _boyfriend _of yours will be taken into custody."

"Wha- No!"

"Yes," his boss stated with finality. "And prepare to depart from Iceland. I have already arranged your flight home. The plane should leave approximately an hour after your meeting. And you _will _return to this country. If you do not-"

"Okay," Hong interrupted in almost a whisper. "Alright...I'll come home." He closed his eyes and sighed. There was no point in arguing with this man. At any rate...he needed to go. Quickly, he bid farewell to his boss and shoved the cell phone back into his pocket. And immediately, he began searching for his boyfriend.

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><p>Norway spoke softly into his phone, trying his best not to wake his brother as he continued the conversation he'd been having with his boss. Subconsciously, he played with Iceland's silky hair, as a way to calm his own nerves. Luckily, all of the Nordic leaders seemed to be on their side. They were happy for Iceland. However, he was informed that many other bosses were not so happy with the news. Even worse...he did not like the warning his own boss was giving.<p>

After several minutes of taking quietly, Norway hung up. It also happened to be the same moment that Hong Kong walked in the room and physically relaxed at the sight that his boyfriend was alright.

"Hej," Norway greeted with a nod of his head.

"Hey..." Hong replied and walked over to the two Nordics. He clumsily sat on the ground in front of the bench and pulled his knees to his chest, cradling himself.

"You should probably rest a bit," Norway offered, but Hong simply shook his head.

"No. I can't," the Asian nation told him. "They might...Iceland might be taken away soon..."

"So I've been told," the Nordic answered, glancing down at his brother's sleepy face. He continued to run his finger's through the silvery hair, eyeing it with an unreadable expression. He sighed and leaned back against the wall, suddenly feeling exhausted. "If we fight them, it'll start a war," he stated disappointingly, staring at the ceiling.

"Yeah..." Hong Kong stared at the ground ahead of him and gripped his legs tighter, resting his head on his knees. A silence passed between the them before he spoke again. "So what should we do? Just...wait? And let them take him? What if they...do something to him?"

Norway sighed again and leaned up, staring at the ground as well. He was careful not to wake his brother. "We don't really have a choice," he explained. "We just have to hope that our bosses make the right decision. They can't...get rid of Iceland, but..."

"Our baby," Hong finished, and his shoulders slumped as he exhaled shakily. Another silence filled the room, and a depressing atmosphere hung over them. Norway leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, trying to will away the 'what if' thoughts that were flooding into his mind. Hong Kong just...continued to stare ahead, not really seeing what was in front of him. They were both lost in thought.

After a while of silence, Iceland slid his eyes open, staring at the back of his boyfriend's head. He could feel his brother's hand still resting on his own head, no longer playing with his hair. He had awaken some point during Norge's phone conversation, not wanting to move at the time. He'd been listening quite intently ever since Hong had stepped into the room...And now, a heavy silence filled the air, weighing down on them. He let out a sigh and tiredly reached out, lightly hanking a piece of his boyfriend's hair.

"Hey...Kongee..." Ice mumbled and continued to pull his hair until Hong Kong turned around and smiled. Iceland smiled back, and they locked their fingers together, resting their hands on the bench as they talked quietly. "It'll be fine," he said as reassurance. Though he was personally terrified of what may happen, he felt oddly calm right then. "We've got almost all the nations on our side, plus a good bit of bosses...I'm sure they can work it out."

"I don't know," Hong Kong sighed and lay his head on top of their hands. "I'm just, like...afraid that it won't."

"I know," Ice agreed. "I am too. Just...worrying too much won't change anything, you know? Trust me, I've already done enough of it today." They chuckled lightly before falling back into a more comfortable silence.

"Ice," Hong said, breaking the silence.

"Hm?" Ice hummed.

"I love you."

Iceland's lips curved into a smile, and he squeezed his boyfriend's hand. "I love you too," he whispered. The two of them stayed like that for a while before drifting off to sleep.

Norway smiled down at the two of them. They must have forgotten he was there...or thought he was asleep. They'd never expressed their love so openly in front of others before. And to be honest, it was adorable and sweet. Norge had always been one to succumb to cute moments like this. He couldn't help but smile...and...it seemed like he just kept getting more and more proud of his little brother. The boy was really growing up. And secretly, he wished that Iceland would say that to him as well; that he loved him. That was something he hadn't heard from the boy since he was a little colony. It was back when he called him "big brother" as well. Norway missed those days.

He twirled a piece of his brother's silver hair with his finger and laughed silently to himself. Now he had two things to get Iceland to say.

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><p><strong>I was going to add a last part to this chapter, but I just can't find the gumption to write it. I just...I don't know. Every time I tried, it didn't come out right? So I kinda gave up. I'll just kinda overview that section at the beginning of the next chapter, which I will try to get to soon. School will likely get in the way of that...<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review.**


	27. Chapter 27

**So much for getting to this soon, eh? Heh...sorry. School has been very busy for me. I didn't mean to take so long with this.**

**Thanks so much to those of you who reviewed last chapter and to the guests and such that egged me on to update. Thank you for doing so kindly. I hope this isn't a disappointment.**

**Enjoy~!**

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><p>Norway sat by Hong Kong in the meeting room. Almost all of the nations were gone now, including Iceland, who had been taken into custody until this whole thing would be sorted out. The other Nordics and Asians were promptly freaking out on the men who had taken Ice away. Norway eventually joined in, trying to calm them down, though he himself was nowhere near happy with the way things were going.<p>

Seeing as how 'calm' was not going to work, Hong Kong eventually slipped out of the room. He was terrified when they took Iceland away. It wasn't really dramatic or anything, but it still left him empty and afraid. Knowing he might never see his baby, _or even Iceland_, did not settle well in the bit of his stomach. He felt like he could puke, and his chest was constricted. It was hard to breathe, and he was even forming a headache from the stress of it all. And yet, even filled with all this pain, he'd never felt so alone before.

Without even realizing it, Hong Kong had ended up walking to the beach. His dulled eyes squinted at the sea. A cold breeze swept through his hair, making it messy, but he didn't care. He just sat down in the sand and pulled his legs to his chest, staring out at the roaring waves that splashed ashore. He had no idea how long he'd been there when a hand settled on his shoulder. He looked up tiredly and noticed China smiling down at him sympathetically, and without a word, he turned back to the ocean.

China waited a moment before sitting down beside him. He, too, stared out at the ocean; if anything, to find whatever Hong Kong found so fascinating out on the horizon. But there was really nothing there. "Aiyahhh….." he sighed after a while. "I can't help you if you don't talk to me, aru."

Hong blinked and turned to him, his eyes portraying more emptiness than usual, yet more emotion than ever. He didn't say anything; just shrugged and turned back to the sea.

China rolled his eyes and shook his head, then put an arm around Hong's shoulders, pulling him close. "Talk to me, aru," whispered when Hong Kong didn't struggle against him.

"There's nothing to talk about," the boy finally replied. "You already know what's happening, so why do you, like…need me to tell you?"

The elder frowned and squeezed his shoulder. "Alright…come on," he said, slowly standing up. His back cracked on the way, and he groaned. "Aiyahhh….I'm getting old," he gasped and tugged at Hong's hoodie.

Hong Kong cracked a little smile at that and soon got up as well. There wasn't much else he could do anyway. His orders were to get back home as soon as possible…and so, that's what he did. The two of them headed back to the meeting building to get the others, and then they were off to the airport. They were finally heading home….

And of course, the first thing Hong was met with when he returned was a furious boss, barking orders and reprimanding him. He was too exhausted to argue back though, and so he just accepted his boss's harsh words and then left for his house with a huge stack of paperwork to finish. At home, it wasn't much better, though…It felt emptier than usual. Hong just sat there at his desk, filling out the papers he'd been given, one at a time, for hours on end. If the whole situation weren't exhausting enough, he still had jet lag from the travel back to his own country. He was tired and in no mood to focus on work, yet he couldn't bring himself to go to bed. Instead, he just sat there and tried his best to read coherently. But the words just kept flopping around, and his eyes were growing blurry and felt heavy. Eventually, he set own his pen and left to make some tea. A little break wouldn't hurt. What he hadn't realized, though, is that being gone for months meant no food in the house. The cabinets were practically empty. He'd taken all his tea to Iceland's place…

Just as he was about to head back to his study, a rapid knock sounded at the door. Curious, and with nothing else to do, he decided to see who was visiting. What he found was a little surprising and honestly made him feel….something. He didn't know what, but it made his chest heat up.

Right on his doorstep stood the whole Asian family, each carrying food, board games, movies, and such. Hong Kong stepped aside and invited them in, a little confused as to why they were there but happy, nonetheless.

"We thought you could use some food," Taiwan laughed, noting his bewildered expression.

"And some company, da-ze~!" South Korea exclaimed whilst running to the television to get a movie set up. "We can have a Jackie Chan marathon, 'kay?!" he shouted excitedly. Everyone in the family knew how much Hong loved Jackie.

"Uh…thanks," Hong Kong replied hesitantly. "But you guys didn't, like, have to do this, you know."

Thailand smiled and patted his back. "'Course we did. You're our brother, after all." He pulled Hong in for a hug, and the others joined as well before pulling away and heading off to get the food ready.

Hong Kong stood there watching as everyone bustled about his house. It was strange, but not unwelcome. Then, a hand laid on his shoulder, and China smiled at him. "You did this?" Hong asked, furrowing his eyebrows as if he were misunderstanding something.

China nodded. "When you go off on your own, you don't really want to be alone, aru," he said and shook the boy's shoulder in support before heading off to get some food.

The rest of the day was spent watching movies and playing games. Yet the whole time, Hong Kong wasn't really focusing on the fun but more on his family. Sure, he'd done stuff with them before, but it never felt so….personal. It was more for entertainment before, but this time it was for Hong's well-being. And he just wasn't used to that; to them actually _caring_. Part of him understood _why_, but…then there was the part of him that was just a confused mess.

Eventually though, his family headed out one by one, and the only ones left were himself and China, who insisted on staying the night. Hong Kong did his best to keep his emotions in check. Though he was grateful for the elder wanting to make sure he was okay, he really just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. It wasn't helping that he couldn't seem to go anywhere in the house without China tailing behind him. But as the night went on, they eventually went to their separate rooms to get some sleep.

Hong was restless though. He was exhausted, yes, but his mind was a mish-mash of emotions and would not allow him to fall into slumber. And so he lay awake for a while, just thinking. He thought about what happened to Ice; what might happen in the future; what _had _happened in the past. He thought over his life and his family. And for some reason, that caused the most confusion of all. He still did not understand why. Why did they seem to care so suddenly? He wasn't complaining. He loved feeling….important. But it just confused him, and he started coming up with excuses for them. Maybe they had to wrong someone else to realize how they'd wronged him? Maybe they had cared all along but simply didn't think they needed to show it? Or maybe they only loved him now because they'd be getting an adorable new family member out of it. If something happened to the baby, would they still care for him the same? Would he still be able to be with Ice? What if something happened to Ice? What would he do? Questions reeled through his mind one after another, leading in some sort of cycle. Eventually, he couldn't take the repeated thoughts and curled into himself, breaking down.

Tears streamed down his face as he buried it in the sheets and wrapped the blanket tight around himself. He pitifully hugged himself as he sobbed, doing his best to be quiet. Constraining himself only made it hurt worse though. His chest tightened with each sob, and he found himself practically choking on air. His body shuddered; not from the cold but from all the stress building up within him. He wasn't even thinking anymore; just trying to get rid of the pain. That is, until he felt something touch him, and he curled even further into the blankets.

"Hong…." a weary China whispered from his bedside and gently tried to pull the blanket away from the boy's face, which really only resulted in Hong curling farther into it. "Hong Kong," China sighed and sat himself down on the side of the bed, looking away from the boy. "You can talk to me. You know that, right, aru?"

Hong shifted and peered out of a small gap in the blanket. He could see his elder brother sitting there with slacking shoulders, as if he were greatly let down or something. Hong shivered and calmed down, occasional tears still falling from the corners of his eyes. He loosened his grip on the blanket but didn't make a move to uncover himself. He didn't want anyone to see him so pathetic.

China turned and smiled softly at the bundle of blankets. He could see Hong's blotchy red eyes staring out of it, and he placed his hand on the boy's head, patting it gently in support. "Hong Kong?"

"Mm," Hong mumbled and blinked slowly.

A silent moment passed between them before China decided to speak again. "Is this about Iceland? Do you want to talk about it, aru?"

Hong Kong thought. He wasn't entirely sure why he was crying. Was there really any specific reason? He was just so confused and alone that it pushed him to tears. It wasn't just one thing. It was a bunch of things clashing together.

"Xiao-Chun?"

Hong glanced up, snapping away from his thoughts. "Oh…" he began and shifted awkwardly. "I don't know. I guess…."

"You guess, aru?" China asked and chuckled lightly. "You guess it's about Iceland or you guess you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know. Both, I guess."

China shook his head, smiling softly. "Alright then. So you are worried about Iceland, aru? And the baby? You know, whatever happens, we're here for you, aru."

"Right…" Hong Kong flipped onto his back and lay an arm over his face, the questions starting to race through his mind again. He fought with himself about whether or not he should ask…but in the end he couldn't help himself. "Why?"

The elder seemed to be a bit taken back by this. His eyebrows scrunched together, and he tossed Hong Kong a confused look. "Why what?"

Hong sighed. "Why are you suddenly here for me? I mean, like….you didn't care before, so…" He shrugged, avoiding eye contact with his brother. "I don't know. I'm just, like, confused."

China shifted so that he was now completely facing Hong Kong. "You think we didn't care, aru?" he asked with true sincerity in his voice.

Now the young nation partly regretted asking. He refused to look at his elder and simply nodded for an answer. He felt bad asking, but he really just had to know. He had to talk about this while he had the chance, or the issue would forever weigh him down.

"Aiyah…Why would you think that?"

Hong frowned and shook his head. "I don't know. I just…."

China tilted his head, thinking back on the way they'd treated him before. And that made him remember what they'd done to Iceland….and what he'd said to Hong Kong. "Xiao, is this about…what I said to you before? I mean…I was just upset, aru…and I didn't want to lose the argument, so I said those things…." He looked down at his lap and fiddled with the string of his pajama bottoms. He felt truly horrible for what he'd said that day. He really didn't understand why he'd felt so hateful before. It just didn't make sense to him, and he regretted it more than anything, seeing his brother cry like this.

Hong Kong stared up at the ceiling, wondering what to say next. He really wasn't all too familiar with spilling his emotions onto someone else. "Yao…." he began but stopped himself, thinking it over. "Never mind," he concluded.

"No, Hong. What were you going to say, aru?"

The boy swallowed and subconsciously hugged the blanket around himself. "Do you…like….hate me for being European?" he whispered with sadness not-too-hidden in his tone. He squinted and tensed slightly, prepared for a brash response. But China was quiet. And when Hong finally got the guts to look over, he paused at the sight of a crying nation.

China had a hand clamped over his mouth and tears streaming down his face. His eyes were clenched shut, and he was shaking his head in response, back heaving with sobs.

Hong Kong looked down at himself guiltily. He shouldn't have asked after all. And now he felt terrible for making his brother cry. He sat up and clenched his fists before slowly falling sideways to lean against China. He rested the side of his head against the elder's shoulder and closed his eyes.

China hiccuped and turned his watery eyes toward the nation leaning on him. He blinked, and his hands shook, but he managed to wrap an arm around the boy and hug him. His grip only tightened when Hong actually hugged him back, and China began to sob once again. "I don't hate you," he cried. "I don't hate you," he repeated over and over. "I don't."

"Okay…" Hong Kong sighed and stared blankly. "I get it," he said, though he really didn't feel as if anything had been resolved. If anything, he was even more confused now. "I know. I just…you're always, like, saying bad stuff about Europeans….and scolding me for not being…I guess…Asian enough."

Again, China shook his head. "I know, aru…I know. B-but I never meant it to be like I hated you…I just…" he hiccuped. "I knew you liked living with England better, aru, and I just…I wanted you to remember your Asian culture too, aru…I'm sorry." His voice shook, and he gripped tightly onto Hong's pajama shirt. "I was just jealous, aru. And I let it get to me. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…I'm so sorry…"

Hong Kong frowned and felt a tear escape his eye, but he didn't care anymore. He just buried his face into China's shoulder and hugged him back. "Stop apologizing…You're, like, starting to sound Canadian. I get it," he laughed and sighed. "I'm glad to know you don't, like, hate me…."

"Aiyah…." China smiled and rubbed Hong's shoulder. "I could never hate you, Xiao." The room fell back into silence afterward, and they just sat there for a while, hugging. Eventually though, their fatigue set in, and they decided to try sleeping again. China decided to stay with him that night, just for reassurance. "It'll all work out, aru" he whispered after lying there for a while. He wasn't even sure what he was referring to, but he knew it'd turn out. Things would be better between them from then on, no matter what happened next.

He kept his worries to himself.

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><p><strong>Due to school, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. :c But I'll do my best not to take as long as I did with this one.<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review.**


	28. Chapter 28

**This is shorter than usual, but I hope it isn't too much of a disappointment...Sorry, I've been extremely busy and just can't update as much as I used to.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Iceland twiddled with his fingers as he sat alone in a tiny room. It was comfortable and warm, but he couldn't leave for any reason other than to use the restroom. So it was boring as hell. Honestly, what did they expect him to do? They'd taken all electronics from him and left him with basically nothing but the clothes on his back. What was he supposed to occupy himself with? Exercise? He couldn't exactly do <em>that<em> with his bulging stomach. Speaking of which….

Iceland sat back against the headboard of the bed and placed a hand on his stomach. He looked down at it with mixed emotions. So many things were happening. And it wasn't just _his _life that was on the line anymore. Pretty soon, he would be bringing a new one to the world; that is, depending on the final decision. And he had no control over what would happen. He hated it, but….his child's life was in someone else's hands. He couldn't do anything to stop them if they were to take him away…or worse.

And on top of his anxiety, he was terrified of the idea of birth and parenting. The whole pregnancy thing had been a rocky road, but all of the pain he had gone through was to prepare him for what was coming; the actual birthing. And he had what? A month or so? That seemed like such a short time span. And yet….he couldn't bear the thought of living alone in this room for an entire month. No, he detested that idea. As much as he'd complained about his family taking care of his all this time, he really did need them. He'd already been in this room for two days, and that was definitely enough for him to realize just how much he missed them. He _wanted_ them to be with him. He wanted to crowd together in the living room at home and watch movies together. That was what he wanted. But instead, he was trapped against his will. He was alone with nothing to do and nowhere to go. It was hard enough to move as it was, but now he couldn't go anywhere if he wanted to.

He jumped when he felt a kick hit his hand. He had zoned out, and the baby apparently wanted to make itself present; remind him that he's not entirely alone. Of course, this is just what Iceland wanted to think. It certainly wasn't a thought he'd share with anyone. But still, even thinking of his unborn child as company wasn't helping much, obviously. If anything, he wished that Mr. Puffin could be there with him. Maybe he could ask if the bird would be allowed to join him…? But then, the puffin didn't really deserve to be trapped in such a boring place…Ice would feel bad if he'd put his friend in this situation simply because he was bored and lonely. No…he'd just have to tough it out and hope the bosses would come to a conclusion soon.

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><p>"This cannot be allowed!"<p>

"And why not?!"

"Why not?! It breaks every law we have come to set!"

"It is not doing harm! Leave them be! He is my nation, not yours!"

"And you think that matters?!" the angry Chinese man shouted while dramatically swinging his arms in the air.

"Emil is mature and has the right to make his own decisions," the pale man argued, adjusting his spectacles. "And I respect his wishes."

The Chinese man, Hong Kong's boss, huffed in anger and clenched his fists to his sides in frustration. "He is a _country,_" he shouted, exasperated. "He has no right. He is hardly human! His sole purpose is to follow our orders, and _I_ say that a _piece of land_ has _no_ right to a child!"

"Dare you call him land?!" Iceland's boss shouted back angrily. "He is the reason for my country!" he defended, roughly poking his chest for emphasis. "The land is not _ours_. It belongs to them! They have been here longer than _any _of us! And if they want the right to raise their own child, then so be it! They have done more than enough for us. We owe them this much!"

"_We owe them nothing!"_ the other snarled, and the room grew quiet as the two glared at each other, eyes full of loathing and hatred. The other bosses watched the argument go on, silently considering which side they should accompany.

"We owe them everything," Iceland's boss said quietly, growing calm and serious.

"And why should we—"

"They have supported us for centuries!" the Icelander interrupted. "For how long? For _how long_ have they held our people up and let all of _our_ responsibilities weigh down on them?!" He paused, glancing around the room to be sure that every man was listening. "They may be built to withstand far greater pain than us, and they may have experienced far more than we….but what gives us the right to take away what little they can call their own?" He waited for a response. Many of the bosses looked down at the table, guilt and realization rested upon their faces. Others still did not want to be persuaded; if anything because they simply did not want to admit their wrongs.

Hong Kong's boss faulted, but he was only hesitant. "They have no experience with caring for children," he argued softly, averting his eyes.

Iceland's boss turned to him with a scolding look. "No one does at first," he explained. "And aside from that, have the people not been children to them? They care for us deeply and have gone through much hell to keep us safe. And still, you say they cannot do something so simple as to care for a child? Something that even teenagers nowadays can handle?" The Chinese man looked as if he were about to speak again, but the Icelander held up his hand to silence him, shaking his head. "I know they have duties to their nations," he began, standing in front of the crowd of bosses, "but they also have their duties as humans." He paused. "The world is not as it once was. I don't believe we must fight to steal a mere child. There would be no reason. No one bothers taking the smaller ones." He nodded toward one of the bosses, whose brother had become a city personification many decades before. "You know this. So why do we fight?"

The men quietly conversed amongst one another. An elderly woman stood, and the room quieted as she spoke. "What of the law?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Even with your case, it has still been broken," she explained calmly, her voice thick with a British accent.

The Icelander nodded respectively. "Indeed, it was broken," he began, almost solemnly. "But what is a long forgotten law anyway? There is no need of it in this day and age. We men have taken on much of the role in our government as it is. The world is calmer now than once it was. There is no reason why we cannot lift the law and give our nations more freedom in their personal lives. They, too, are human after all."

"I see," the woman spoke and stood proudly. "Take it to vote. All in favour of lifting the law of nation conception," her voice boomed throughout the room as she raised her hand in the air. Several others shot up, and the room was soon filled with a majority of agreement.

For another half hour or so, the group of bosses continued to discuss the situation, debating and coming to their own agreements with one another. And finally, at the end of the day, they were able to part ways and head to their respective homelands to give the news.

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><p>Iceland had a blanket draped around him as he slept silently in the empty bed. He hadn't heard the door open, nor did he wake when he was lifted into someone's arms. He squirmed slightly but nuzzled up to the chest that held him.<p>

"Aw, Icy's so cute," Denmark laughed quietly and grinned.

"Yes," Norway agreed, eyes soft as he watched his lillebror rest. "Now let's get him home, Dane. I doubt he wants to stay here much longer." A small smile curved his lips as he led them out of the room, holding the doors open. After carefully lying the boy in the back seat of their car, he allowed Denmark to take the wheel, and he sat in the back with his brother, running a hand through the silvery hair, his lap was being used as a pillow. The drive felt long, but it was peaceful and quiet. And finally, they arrived home, where the other Nordics were waiting. They took Iceland up to his room and lay him down in the bed, making sure he was warm under the covers. Mr. Puffin cuddled up to his friend, and Norway softly kissed his brother's forehead after the others had left the room, then followed out behind them.

Things were looking up.

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><p><strong>Soooo close...just a couple more chapters, I think. Uuuuuugggghhhhh. I should hopefully be able to finish this story by the end of January. Hopefully. <strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review.**


	29. Chapter 29

**Again, sorry for the wait. Thanks to those who haven't given up on me and continue to review! **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>Iceland slowly awoke from his sleep. He was just barely becoming aware of his surroundings and could feel the soft fabric of the knitted quilt England had made them some number of months ago. Confused, he blinked open his eyes and waited for them to adjust to the lighting. His eyebrows furrowed in even more confusion, and he struggled to sit up and look around more.<p>

The room was a bit chilly, and he didn't quite want to get out of bed, but he wondered how he'd gotten there. It was obvious that someone must have brought him here while he was asleep….and judging by his still-extended stomach, the boss' meeting must have ended in his favor. An enormous amount of relief rushed through him just then, and his mind wondered off as he stared down at the hands he'd rested on belly. He leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes.

A light knock came from the door, and Ice opened his eyes to see his brother standing there.

"Sleep well?" Norway asked and walked towards the bed, taking a seat at Iceland's feet.

"Yeah, I guess. I didn't even realize I was home…."

Norway gave an almost inaudible laugh and casually lay back across the bed. He crossed his arms behind his head and stared blankly up at the ceiling, sighing contently through his nose. They sat there in silent peace until he spoke again. "I think the scariest part is out of our way now…" He paused and took a deep breath, then looked over at his brother, who was staring back with a questionable expression. "Pretty soon, we'll have another little Nordic running around."

Iceland's eyes moved back to his stomach. "I guess…" he trailed off, not wanting to look his brother in the eye.

Norway closed his eyes and turned back to the ceiling. "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"What?" Ice asked, looking over to him again.

"You're scared to have the baby, aren't you?" he asked blankly. It was more of a statement than a question.

"Well…" Iceland felt jumbled. He was terrified, honestly. And it wasn't just about being a parent. That scared him too, but….the idea of actually giving birth was frightening. In all his time, he'd heard plenty of stories. Women could _die_ from it; even from the pain alone. Normally, he wouldn't be so worried, but….this kind of thing never happened to a male nation before. Nations aren't exactly immune to death. He couldn't rule out the possibility that birth could kill him. They didn't know. And either way…..he wasn't looking forward to the pain it would cause him. But he didn't want to share these thoughts. He'd already rambled about his worries before, and they had simply brushed him off, telling him that there was no reason to worry since it wouldn't exactly change the situation. He knew they were right, but still…he couldn't just stop worrying all together.

"I wonder how you'll have it."

Iceland's thoughts stopped in their tracks, and he was brought back to reality. He looked over at Norway, bewildered. "What?"

"I wonder how you'll have it," the Norwegian repeated. "You're not a woman, so you obviously won't birth it normally. Would it come out your-"

"Stop!" Iceland cut him off, a look of horror on his face. "Why are you even thinking of that?" he asked, obviously uncomfortable with whatever his brother might be imagining.

"You can't not be curious." He turned his head and kept his expression neutral as he inwardly laughed at Iceland's flushed expression.

"I don't care, just stop."

Norway smirked slightly and sat up. "Alright." He got to his feet and turned to help Iceland up. "Come on then. You need to get dressed."

"What? Why?" He wasn't used to Norway actually listening when he told him to stop doing something. And he was curious as to why he had to get dressed. He didn't even want to get out of bed.

"You want to get your baby daddy at the airport, don't you?"

A blush quickly crept across the Icelander's cheeks. "O-okay but can you not call him that, _please?_"

"Why not?" Norge asked, chuckling. "That's what he is, right?"

"W-well yes, but," Iceland paused. "Just don't call him that. It's weird."

"If you don't want me to call him that, then you have to call me something else," Norway mused, a twinkle of mischief in his eye.

Iceland stuttered. "T-that—No. I'm not saying it. That's not fair."

"What's not fair?" Denmark asked as he appeared in the doorway. Norway turned to him, amusement gone now.

"He's trying to get me to call him_ that_ again," Iceland explained.

The Dane laughed. "Really, Norge? Give the kid a break."

Norway blinked. "Fine. Let's go, _lillebror_," he teased and helped Iceland up, despite the boy's weak protests. "Baby Daddy should have landed by the time we get there. Then we can go eat at your favorite restaurant, if you want."

Iceland groaned and headed for his dresser for a change of clothes. He hoped this new nickname wouldn't last.

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><p>Hong Kong hurried off the plane as soon as he could. He was glad that nations were given first class seats, or else he would have been forced to wait while everyone else filed out. But thankfully, that wasn't the case. He just grabbed his carry on duffel bag and booked it out of there, maneuvering his way through the small crowds at the airport. At least this one wasn't nearly as packed as the ones back home. He was glad for that. It meant he wouldn't have to plow anyone over. And it took him less time to find the Nordics. And when he did, his first action was to hug his boyfriend. Even though they hadn't been apart for long, the circumstances had made it feel much worse. He was more than happy to be back.<p>

"Aren't you guys cute," Denmark cooed as he held up his phone, recording their reunion.

Iceland blushed, embarrassed, and tried to hide his face behind his boyfriend's shoulder, but Hong Kong only stared at the phone and hugged Iceland tighter. "Sometimes, I'm very embarrassed," he quoted with a blank expression.

"No, you just like to embarrass me," Iceland said grumpily. He paused, feeling a short pain shoot through him. It was gone quickly though, so he dismissed it as a burst of hunger for having not eaten breakfast. "Can we just get food already?"

"I guess. Where are we going?"

"That place down the road," Norway answered. "I'm sure my lillebror has taken you there before."

"We should probably get going then," Finland said, smiling. "I'm starving!"

"No kidding," Hong said, a hand placed over his empty stomach. "Air food is too expensive."

Denmark threw an arm around Hong Kong's shoulders. "Then dinner's on me, bro! And maybe some drinks later," he suggested.

"Cool."

"Can I go to the bathroom before we leave?" Iceland asked with a slight whine in his tone.

"Oh, yeah! I'm glad you asked. I really had to go, but I didn't want to break up our little reunion." Finland smiled sheepishly and started heading toward the restrooms with Ice. He waved back. "Just wait for us. We won't be long," he promised, smiling. When the two of them were in the restroom though, he became concerned when Iceland suddenly caught himself on the wall, clutching his stomach. "I-Ice? Are you alright? Do you need help? What's wrong?"

"N-nothing. I'm fine," Ice lied, not wanting to seem weak and helpless. He continued walking and headed into one of the stalls since he couldn't quite use the urinals anymore in his state.

"Are you sure?" Fin asked again, worry evident in his voice. "Do you need help? Is something wrong? Are you okay?"

"Tino, I'm fine."

However, just as he was going to close the stall door, a tearing pain ripped through him, and he crippled over a bit, a strangled sound of pain passing through his lips. Finland instantly rushed forward, asking over and over again what was wrong and if he was okay. Iceland paused before giving a small nod. He was clutching his stomach, starting to lose his grip and relax. Finland didn't know what to think.

"Ice, if you're in pain, maybe we should take you to the hospital. It's not that far away." He furrowed his eyebrows in worry, chewing his lip.

"I'm fine. I just—ah," he stopped mid-sentence, looking confused. He felt a pop in his stomach and could hear something dripping.

"I-Ice, I think your water just broke," Finland panicked, and Iceland looked up with an almost horrified expression.

"What?" He froze. "What do you mean it just broke?" He felt the liquid running down his legs, and it was making him very uncomfortable. He panicked. "N-no. That can't be it. I-I still have a month left." His eyes were wide in fear, and he seemed to be waiting for Finland to offer some other explanation.

"Ice, we need to get you to the hospital. _Now_." He grabbed the boy by the arm and started to lead him out, but Iceland refused, shaking his head.

"N-no. There are people out there,"

"_Ice_," Finland said desperately. Just then, the trickling liquid started to gush, and they began to panic even more. Iceland was nearly in tears just from embarrassment alone. "Alright," Fin agreed. "Stay here. I'll get the others," he said and promptly ran from the restroom. He ran through the people, searching for the others, not caring if he bumped into others. When he finally found them, he was panting.

"Man, I thought you guys would never show up. You took forever," Denmark joked.

The other ignored him. "Ice went into labor!" he informed them before he could even catch his breath.

"What?" Norway said, instantly getting to his feet. The others did as well. "Where is he?" He was highly alert now and ready to rush to his brother's aid.

"In the bathroom. He refused to leave." The Nordics didn't even hesitate. Sweden grabbed Hong Kong's duffel bag, and they all headed for Iceland. When they got there, they found him leaning against the sink, looking obviously disgusted by the liquid that was gushing out of himself. The others didn't seem to care though. Norway and Hong Kong instantly ran to the boy's side, and Denmark offered to carry him to the car.

"The car," Norway stated and looked to Sweden, who nodded and set the bag down, taking the keys that were tossed to him and running out of the room.

"Seriously though," Denmark began curiously, "where is all this water stuff coming from?"

"Dane," Norway warned with a glare, and Iceland blushed.

"I'm just saying."

Hong Kong frowned and stepped away for a moment, going to open his bag. When asked what he was doing, he dug around a bit and pulled out a couple white towels. "They're from that one hotel we stayed in a while back. Denmark, like, made me steal them, but he never took them out of my bag," he explained.

"Oops," the Dane laughed.

Norway rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, for once, your stupidity is useful," he admitted and checked his phone. "Now come get my brother," he ordered. "Sve is waiting for us out front." And much to Iceland's dismay, the Dane actually picked him up and started to carry him out of the restroom, into public. What's worse was that the gush of liquid hadn't stopped, nor had it slowed. He could practically _feel_ people staring as they rushed toward the airport's exit. But luckily, Sweden really was right out front waiting. He got out of the car and helped them put Iceland in the back seat. Hong tossed his luggage in the trunk and followed his boyfriend inside, using the towels to soak up as much water as he could. Norway got in on the other side and rested Iceland's head in his lap, petting his hair to keep him calm. Denmark took the wheel now, and Sweden hopped in the passenger seat, Finland sitting awkwardly on his lap. It was only a five-or-so minute drive to the hospital, but it felt so much longer.

Once they were there, Denmark carried Iceland in, and they took him back. The nurses would only allow two people to go with him though, so of course, Hong and Norge were the ones to follow. The other three were able to wait in a small lounge in the maternity section, which was still better than having to sit out in the main waiting room. Still, they knew they may be there for a long time…

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><p><strong>It's about time, right? I know some of you have been asking when he'd go into labor. haha Welp, this is it. Hope it wasn't disappointing. I didn't want to make it too cheesy, like how lots of movies and shows do; the water suddenly breaks and they instantly go into labor. No. It hardly ever happens like that. Here, Ice was experiencing some contractions before his water even broke, and even still, it may be a while before he officially goes into labor. It works differently for everyone, and the order and time period of stuff happening can vary greatly between different women (and Ice).<strong>

**Well...eh...that's my random spout of information, I guess. Hope you liked it.**

**Thanks for reading & please review.**


	30. Chapter 30

**I say this every time now, but...sorry for taking as long as I have. Hope you enjoy this chapter. **

**Enjoy!**

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><p>"It's been, like, an hour now," Hong Kong stated, seated at Iceland's side. "How long does this normally take?" He looked over to the doctor who was standing in the room with them.<p>

"It varies," he answered. "It may be hours still. Might even last through the night," he said, seemingly distant as he wrote into a notebook. "The contractions will increase through the stages of labor. He appears to be in the active stage at the moment, so it may still be a while."

Hong Kong nodded and thanked him before turning back to Ice. "Hey. I'm gonna, like, step out to call China and England real quick, okay?" Iceland and Norway nodded, and he left, saying he'd be back in a bit. He headed into the hallway, getting his phone out and dialing his step-dad first to tell him what was happening. The Brit seemed somewhat unsurprised but otherwise excited, saying that he'd fly in immediately and get a hotel. China, on the other hand, was not so calm about it. The moment Hong told him that Ice had gone into labor, the old nation practically screeched in shock and then started spurting out the news, seemingly to whomever was in the room with him. Cheers and chaos promptly erupted on the other end of the line, and Hong found himself shaking his head in amusement. "Alright, well, I was just, like, calling to tell you," he interrupted. "I have to get back now, so I'm gonna, like, hang up." The others shouted in protest, but he simply hung up on them and then turned the sound off on his phone so he could ignore them when they tried to call back.

Before heading back to the hospital room, he decided he may as well stop by the waiting room to see the other Nordics. They were all sitting bored, but they sprung up the moment they saw him, asking if anything had happened. He shook his head and smiled, informing them that it may be a while still. He decided to sit with them for a moment, and as he did so, his stomach growled hungrily. He hadn't eaten all day.

"I wonder if we can get something from the vending machine," Finland said, feeling his own hunger kick in.

"I'll be back!" Denmark shouted and ran toward the machine as if his life depended on it. He whipped out his wallet and then stood still, glancing around at the different snacks inside. "Man, I dunno what I want," he whined. He turned his head to look at the others. "Hey, Little Daddy. What d'you want?" he asked, staring pointedly at Hong Kong.

Hong gave a questioning look and pointed at himself, as if asking if the question was directed toward him. After getting an excited nod of confirmation, he decided to just role with it and walked up to the machine to see what all was available. In the end, the Dane had bought all of them snacks to hold them over, and once again, it was time for Hong to head back to his boyfriend.

After he left, Sweden suggested they call Iceland's home to inform Mr. Puffin of what was happening and why they weren't back yet. The bird wouldn't be too happy about not being there, but he'd be a lot more upset and surprised if they'd just suddenly show up with a baby. So telling him now was probably the best choice. Or at least, that's what they thought.

"Whaddya mean 'e went into labor?!" the bird squawked through the phone, and Denmark winced, holding it away from his ear. "An' how come I'm only findin' out now?! Hold it! I'm comin' down there!"

"W-Wait, Puffin!" the Dane stuttered, flustered by the situation. "I don't think they allow, uh…you know, animals, to like-"

"Ye callin' me an animal?!" Mr. Puffin yelled. "I'm a talkin' bird, for cryin' out loud! And I been there before. Ain't no doctors keepin' me out! I'm comin!" He promptly hung up and made his way out of Iceland's house afterward, heading toward the hospital. The Nordics shook their heads and shrugged. If the bird is denied entry to the hospital, it's his fault, not theirs. Oh well.

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><p>A few more hours passed as Ice's contractions increased. At one point, the doctor came in to speak with them, having a rather serious yet welcoming expression. He then explained what would happen from then on and gave them some options. He explained the difficulties that stood in their way, seeing as Iceland's case was far different than anything these doctors had dealt with before. The uterus that had formed inside the nation was completely misplaced from where a normal one would be, and if he were to birth naturally, it would be much more difficult and dangerous than normal birthing. Not to mention that it would put the baby at higher risk of disease or infection. So this left them with one option. They may have to perform a C-section. Of course, this too, is dangerous due to the fact that the doctors were accustomed to the normal placement of the uterus….and not this. However, this seemed to be the better choice. And so, after he had finished explaining, the doctor gave them a moment to decide.<p>

Norway frowned in worry, but he knew they had to come to a decision soon. "Ice…"

"I know," Iceland nodded. "I don't really like the idea of being cut open, but…."

"It's the best choice," his brother finished. "You'll be fine," he assured and leaned his forehead against Ice's. "It'll be over before you know it." He pulled away and offered Iceland a smile.

"Alright," Ice agreed. The doctor nodded and told his colleagues to start preparing. He then informed Norway and Hong Kong that one of them would have to step out during the surgery. Only one guest would be allowed during it. Hong frowned, but Norway stood almost immediately. "Nor?"

"It's only fair that he stays," Norway said and smiled. "I'll be waiting with the others, bror." He then turned and walked off, waving back at them. "Take care of him, Leon." And with that, he left.

And soon enough, the doctors were giving Iceland anesthetics to prepare for the surgery. Hong Kong stayed by his side, holding his hand as everyone rushed around them. The two of them whispered to each other to keep their minds busy so they wouldn't stress out too much. They talked about all of the good things they would do as a family and how their families were probably worrying their asses off right then. All they could do was wait.

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><p>"Norge!" Denmark shouted and sprang up to hug his friend, who simply shoved him aside and sat in his place. "Aw, Nor. That was mean…." He pouted but quickly got over it, growing excited. "S-so what's going on?! Did Ice have the baby?"<p>

"Not yet," the Norwegian answered. "They had to take Ice for a cesarean."

"Eh?!" Finland gasped. "H-how come?! Is he okay?"

"He's fine," Norway answered, smiling tiredly. "Sorry. I should have told you that first," he said after seeing all three of them let out relieved sighs. The four of them went on talking for a while, to keep themselves busy as they waited. It was awfully boring in the waiting room.

"Hey, guys!" a familiar voice called, and the lot of them stared down the hallway at the bird flying toward them with several nurses chasing after him. "Tell 'em I'm with ya! Tell 'em I'm with ya!" he begged and practically plowed into Denmark, knocking him to the ground. The nurses came and helped him up after grabbing the puffin. "Wait! Wait! I'm a good bird! Ya can't do dis to me! Guys, help!"

"It's fine," Norway finally said and stood before the nurse that had caught the bird, holding his arm out.

"Sir, animals aren't allowed in the hospital."

"I come here all da time!" Mr. Puffin pleaded. "The doctor lets me!"

"It's true," another voice said, startling them. It was the very doctor that had been taking care of Iceland. "He is no ordinary puffin, ma'am. He'll be fine." The nurse sighed and handed the bird over to Norway before heading back to her job. The Nordics then turned to the doctor and asked how things were going. He explained that the surgery was a success and the baby seemed to be healthy, albeit a bit underweight for being premature. He then showed the excited Nordics into a new room, where they found Iceland lying in bed with the baby in one arm. Hong was leaning over the side of the bed, playing with his child's tiny hand. The two of them looked up and smiled as the Nordics entered the room, and the doctor soon took his leave.

"Oh my gooooodddddddddd," Finland squealed, tears already pouring from his eyes as he took a few steps toward them. "It's so tiny and precious~!"

"It looks like a potato," Denmark commented, blinking at the baby like a curious child. Norway lightly smacked him upside the head.

"Don't speak like that about my nephew, Dane."

"Well it does…"

"Wait," Iceland paused, tilting his head to the side. "Nor, did you-"

"Yes, I did," Norway finished. "I've known since the moment I saw him on screen," he smirked. "I just didn't say anything because you seemed to prefer not knowing." He walked up and sat in the arm chair on the other side of his brother. "May I hold him…?"

"Sure…" Ice said softly and shifted, carefully placing the child in his brother's arms. He watched as Norge played with the baby's little hands and told it stories of how it's daddy refused to call him Big Brother…and then he went on to tell it about its new family; the annoying uncle Denmark, the really nice Uncle Finland, the scary but actually nice Uncle Sweden…the daddy they used to not like….and so on. He continued to tell the sleeping baby about all these people that would be in its life from now on, not caring that the child could not understand him. It was more for Ice than anything. And the Nordics knew that. And when he'd finally finished his little stories, the other Nordics all huddled around to meet the child themselves, watching him sleep soundly in Norway's arms. Mr. Puffin stared at the baby in wonder. He'd never seen a newborn before, and the thought that this was his owner's child brought a tear to his eye. He had the strongest urge to just cuddle up to it and protect it, but he knew better than to do that now.

After a while, the Nordics seemed to succumb to exhaustion, and Norway got up and handed the baby to Hong Kong. "I guess you'll have to stay here for the night," he said to his brother.

"I guess," Ice agreed with a light shrug. The other Nordics were already heading out, and a nurse came in to take the baby off to its sleeping quarters, where it could be watched over for the night. Mr. Puffin huddled up to his owner and made himself comfortable, falling asleep right off the bat. The three that were left in the room chuckled at the bird.

"I suppose it's fine if he stays?" Norway asked, gesturing to the bird. Ice nodded and stroked the puffin's feathers. "Alright. We'll be back to get you tomorrow morning, then."

"Okay."

"God natt, lillebror," Norway said softly and turned to leave the room.

"Night….bror," Ice mumbled, blushing. Norway paused and turned to him, staring wide-eyed before smirking and smiling genuinely. Hong laughed and shook his head, and Norge soon left, quietly closing the door behind him.

The room was now fairly dark and quiet. Hong and Ice held hands and just enjoyed the peace together. After so much drama through the past eight months, they finally got a bit of contentment. And they couldn't be happier. Hong brushed a hand through his boyfriend's silver hair and bent to plant a soft kiss on his lips.

"Ice…I can't believe we have a kid together," Hong laughed. "A few months ago, we weren't allowed to be friends. And now we're a family."

Iceland smiled back. "Yeah." He closed his eyes and nuzzled into the pillows, staring dreamily up at Hong Kong. "It's pretty nice."

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><p><strong>Just one more chapter left to wrap this story up! I'm so glad it's finally come to an end after so long. I honestly never thought this would last as long as it has, and I'm very glad it did because it was a wonderful story to write, and I certainly had a lot of fun with it. I shouldn't take too long with the last chapter because it's more-so going to be a fun little chapter just to wrap this story up and all. Well...I'm in a really productive mood for once, so I think I'll get straight to work on the next chapter!<strong>

**Thanks for reading & please review.**


	31. Chapter 31The End

**I suck. I know. But at least you don't have to put up with my shitty updating anymore. Enjoy~!**

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><p>"This is, like, where you're gonna live most of the time," Hong Kong said as he carried the baby into its room at Iceland's house for the first time. "We did a lot of work for you, so you better like it, I guess."<p>

"Lad, you know he can't understand you," someone said from the doorway.

Hong turned to see England standing there with a smirk on his face. He smirked back and laughed at himself. "Yeah, I know," he admitted.

England smiled and approached his son, holding out his arms for his grandchild to be handed to him. He held the child close and shifted his feet. "So this is Liam," he said and studied the baby's tiny features. Big blue-violet eyes stared up at him curiously. "What is it, lad? Do you like me already?"

Hong Kong shook his head, laughing. "He can't understand you," he mocked.

"I know. I know," England laughed. "But he does seem awfully fascinated by me," he explained and brushed aside a tiny strand of the baby's dark hair.

"It's probably your eyebrows," Hong snickered, noticing how Liam seemed to be in a trance by the rather large caterpillars on his grandfather's forehead.

"Hey, now. Yours are fairly thick as well."

"Yeah, 'cos of you," the younger nation said, crossing his arms. "Jerk," he joked.

"Oh?" England smirked knowingly. "And what are you going to do about it?"

"Something I should have done long ago."

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><p>"And where are you all going?!" Hong Kong's boss shouted sternly.<p>

The group of nations turned to face him with glares. "We're going to see our nephew, da-ze!" Korea shouted in defense, and the others yelled out in agreement. But Hong's boss stepped toward them angrily and growled.

"Then I am coming as well," he ordered. "I have the right to see the child of my nation." He held his head high and stared at the lot of them with no bit of respect in his eyes. They stared back in distain. There was no way they'd be bringing him along. He would only upset the new family. "Well?" he said and raised a brow, holding his brief case out and forcing it into China's arms. "Let's go," he said and began to walk toward the airport line. He stopped when he heard a large clang. Turning around, his brief case was now at the elder nation's feet, contents spilled across the ground. He grew angry and was about to reprimand the other when he felt a sting on his cheek.

With his hand still raised, China glared at the boss. "We are not your slaves, aru!" he shouted and watched as the man's cheek slowly bruised. Satisfied, he turned and grabbed his own luggage, leading the way toward their plane.

The other Asian nations exchanged glances of surprise before laughing. "Way to go, Aniki!" Korea shouted and ran after the elder, the others following with their own shouts of how awesome that was and how they couldn't believe he did that.

Hong Kong's boss stood numb long after they had left. He was shocked, to say the least. But deep inside, he knew he'd deserved that. After a while, he finally decided to pick up his brief case and head home.

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><p>"Catch the cattttsss!" Denmark yelled as he, Finland, Sealand, and Ladonia ran about the house, failing to capture the two cats that were now running from them.<p>

Iceland shook his head at the commotion and held a curious Liam in his arms. The baby was staring around at all of the noises, probably wondering what was going on. Norway soon joined his brother on the couch, and the baby was soon passed over to him. Ice watched as his son and brother seemed to get caught in a staring contest. The baby was awfully fascinated with his uncle. His eyes sparkled with curiosity as he reached up toward the Norwegian's face. Norge shifted and held up his hand so the child's could wrap around his finger. No words were exchanged as he simply played with his nephew. Ice couldn't express how happy it made him to see those two together like that.

Unfortunately, the moment was ruined when an orange-spotted cat came barreling through the living room, followed by a stampede of energetic people. Finland was the only one to stop in front of them, giving up his chase to sit on the couch for a bit and catch his breath. As if on cue, the baby was then passed to him, and he was glad to ramble to the child in his giggly 'baby voice.'

The doorbell rang shortly after. Ice got up to go answer it, followed by Norway. They greeted the group of Asians, who already seemed super excited. Of course, they only became confused when a brown cat came running down the stairs. It jumped immediately onto China's shoulder, as if that would provide protection against the Dane that came running toward them.

"Aiyah! What's going on?" China shouted in distress, glancing between the cat and the panting nation.

Iceland shook his head, smirking. Denmark pointed at the cat. "I've finally caught you!" he shouted out in victory and laughed. The cat seemed to raise a brow at this.

"Technically, you like, didn't."

The Asians jumped when the cat spoke, and they all turned to it with shocked expressions. "Hong?!" Thailand asked.

Taiwan pulled the cat off of China's shoulders and held it up in front of her. "Hong, is that you? You're so cute!"

"I wanna hold him, da-ze! Let me hold him!" the Korean shouted, reaching out for the cat, who quickly squirmed out of his sister's grasp and made a break for the living room, hiding under the couch. The others ran after him curiously, their attention leaving him when they spotted the baby. Taiwan practically squealed and ran forward, the others following close behind. Even Vietnam shyly approached.

Macau seemed content watching from afar, a small smile on his face. As the others gushed over the baby, he walked around to the other end of the couch, bending down so he could see the cat beneath it. "You plan on coming out any time soon?" he asked calmly, ghost of a smirk on his face. The cat stared back blankly.

"I will when it's safe, I guess."

The older nation held out a hand. "Come on. They're all distracted now." Reluctantly, Hong crawled out toward him and was lifted up, lying comfortably in the other's arms as Macau sat in a chair across the room. "You know…" he began, subconsciously stroking Hong Kong's fur. "I was always worried you might not make it as an independent."

Hong lifted his head and stared up at his brother, blinking. "But you, like, never said anything."

Macau smiled. "Because I wanted you to find your own path," he explained honestly. "Even if you were cuter when you were with England…you also became a lot stronger. I guess I failed to realize this," he said and continued to pet the cat's soft fur.

Hong Kong sighed, unsure of what to say.

Macau sighed as well. "I'm proud of you, alright?"

The cat nodded and mumbled a thanks. The two of them sat in peace for a while, until Norway approached and offered to turn him human again, which Hong gladly accepted. A little while later, he and England were back to normal, and the large family crowded into the dining room for dinner. It was much louder than usual in Iceland's home, and everyone was having their own separate conversations. It would seem normal to most people, but to Hong and Ice, it was a miracle. To see that their families could come together as one like this…it felt good, to say the least. Eventually, the noise calmed down, and they were finally able to hold a single conversation amoung the group of nations.

"Hey, Norge!" Denmark shouted across the table, his arm draped over Thailand's shoulders. "Don't ya think we're like twins? He's like the Asian version of me!" he exclaimed excitedly. Thailand laughed along.

"Similar hair does not make you look alike, Dane," the Norwegian responded blankly.

"What? Come on. Sure it does! Just look at us!" he argued cheerfully, grinning.

"His life revolves around his hair," Hong Kong said pointedly to Norway, earning snickers from some of the others.

"Yeah, but your life revolves around fireworks!" Korea laughed, pointing dramatically at Hong.

"It doesn't, like, _revolve_ around them."

"Oh yeah? Then when was the last time you pranked someone, huh?!" Korea argued playfully.

Hong blinked, thinking, as everyone stared at him expectantly. "Well," he began, "technically when I was, like, staying at England's house." England quickly leaned forward and sputtered, wondering when on earth this was. Hong shrugged. "It wasn't on purpose, I guess."

"What did you do?" England asked cautiously. He didn't remember getting pranked at all, which concerned him with the thought that something was waiting to go off somewhere in his home.

Hong Kong shrugged in his father's direction. "You don't have to worry, I guess. I, like, pranked myself by accident." They gave him an odd look at this statement, and some of them even laughed.

"How on earth did you prank yourself?" the Brit asked with a look of slight amusement.

Everyone looked at the boy expectantly. Even Iceland seemed curious. He hadn't heard about this little incident before. And so, Hong told them about cleaning out the closet and how he'd forgotten the smoke bomb that he'd hidden there when he was younger. "It was, like, worse than when the firecrackers exploded in my pants," he explained, referring to a world meeting where one of his pranks had gone wrong. "I don't think that, like, counts as the last time I pranked someone though, since I technically did it a long time ago, I suppose."

Korea laughed and pointed. "You got pranked by your past self, da-ze!" he yelled and continued to laugh hysterically.

"It's really not that funny…" Hong mumbled.

England groaned and rested his head in his hand. "Who knows what's lying in wait now," he whined.

"Well, I remember, like, setting stuff up, but I don't remember _where_," Hong answered with a smirk, just to get the other worked up. The Brit groaned at the thought.

"Then you'll be cleaning out my house soon."

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><p>"Ice, Ice, Baby!" Hong pointed from Iceland to Liam as he sang karaoke.<p>

Iceland's face was flushed pink with embarrassment, and he was glad when the song finally finished…and even more glad when the night was over and everyone was finally leaving. He was very exhausted and just wanted to rest for the night. Of course, Norway was making that difficult for him. "Can't you just go home already?" Ice complained. "Everyone else left already, and Liam's asleep now. What do you want?"

Norway blinked and stared blankly at his brother, noting how tired he looked. "Are you sure you don't want me to stay?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"I don't. Nor, just go home. You've been here all day."

He made no move to leave and instead glanced away for a moment. "There _is_ one way you can get me to leave," he said and turned back, raising a brow with a ghost of a smirk on his face. "Big Brother. Say it," he demanded.

Iceland rolled his eyes. "Are you serious right now? I'm not saying it!" he refused, trying not to be too loud in fear of waking his son.

"If you say it, I'll leave."

Ice grumbled. "_Why_ are you so fixated on this?" he asked, annoyed. "Just drop it already." All he wanted to do was sleep. He really didn't need to be dealing with this right now. But to his surprise, his brother didn't push it and simply turned away and headed to the door to put his jacket on. Quietly, Iceland followed him to the doorway. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he watched Norway actually get ready to leave. He couldn't help but notice something of _sadness_ in his brother's blank eyes. "Uh….Nor…?" he asked, receiving no answer. "Lukas….?"

Norway turned slightly to look his brother in the eyes. "Go to bed, Emil. I'm leaving," he said with badly-masked disappointment to his tone and went to open the door.

"Wait! Br…." Ice paused, and his brother stopped to look back at him, almost surprised. Ice swallowed and looked at the ground. "Look….I'm just….I'm not good at saying that kind of stuff. But, um….thanks. You know….for not being a jerk through all of this," he said awkwardly. "Sorry," he apologized, still not looking up from the floor. Before he could say more, Norway had managed to shock him with a hug.

"You don't have to say any more, lillebror," he whispered and supportingly rubbed the boy's back. After a moment, he stepped back and offered his brother a rare smile. "But that doesn't mean I'll stop trying," he joked and turned back to the door. "I love you, lillebror," he said just as he stepped outside.

Ice hesitated. "Yeah…I love you too, bro…." he mumbled, not really meaning to be heard.

Nor stopped but didn't respond right away. A small smile graced his lips from what he honestly didn't expect to hear. "Good night, Ice," he said and finally left.

Ice closed the door, a bit embarrassed that he'd been heard but glad that his brother didn't make fun of him for it or anything. But he was glad….that he finally got to say it.

"You coming to bed or not?"

Ice jumped, startled by his boyfriend's voice. "Hong, don't do that," he said with a hand on his chest. Hong chuckled. "Where's Puffin?"

"He wanted to look after the baby, I suppose. Come on," he said and gently pulled the Icelander along. They crawled into bed and both immediately sighed in relief. "It's pretty, like, exhausting having both our families here, huh?"

"No kidding," Ice yawned and buried himself under the covers, snuggling up to Hong Kong.

Hong got himself comfortable and buried his face in Ice's hair. He sighed in content. "Love you, Ice…" he whispered.

Iceland smiled and snuggled closer. "Love you too."

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><p><strong>Well….this chapter didn't turn out much like how I'd originally planned, but oh well. Hope it wrapped it up well and wasn't too disappointing. I'm so glad this story is over. Omg It's been a long run. I can't believe this lasted for over a year! Wow. But finally, it's come to an end.<strong>

**Anyway, some of you were wondering if I'd do a sequel where they raise Liam. The answer is no. Sorry. I honestly have like zero interest in stories like that. Anyway, if any of you want to do a story where they raise him, go for it. I could care less. lol**

**Thanks for reading to the end! It means a lot that you liked this story that much. And thank you to everyone who bothered to review! You're the ones that kept me going this far. :) I hope you all have a wonderful year!**


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